


Family Crisis

by LOTSlover



Series: Baby Makes Three Series [7]
Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Danger, Drama, F/M, Family, Kissing, Love, Murder, Mystery, Romance, Serial Killer, Squee, Surprises
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29073465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LOTSlover/pseuds/LOTSlover
Summary: Set nearly a year after Family Reunion, someone from Alfred’s past threatens not only his future but could also threaten the future of the entire Batfamily. A new arrival in Gotham turns the family upside down. BMWW
Relationships: Diana (Wonder Woman)/Bruce Wayne, Dick grayson / Donna Troy, Jason Todd / Artemis, Shayera Hol/John Stewart, Timothy Drake / Cassie Sandsmark
Series: Baby Makes Three Series [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/98066
Comments: 38
Kudos: 173





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**_England; August 2nd, 05:30 (GMT)_ **

He stood in the pre-dawn hours drinking his cup of coffee as he stared out over the thick mist that rose from the lake outside of his window like wisps of cotton. It created a sense of eeriness that he welcomed as he contemplated life past and future.

It was a weighty topic that he’d found himself dwelling on more and more lately or at least since gaining his freedom. His lips curled slightly as he recalled that glorious day of freedom when he’d finally been allowed to breathe fresh air instead of that musty recycled air they pumped through the vents.

Yes, it had been a glorious day for more than one reason. Shanking his security guard and watching as the life drained from his body had been more than worth the forty years that he’d spent in that hell hole of a dungeon that he’d been dumped in. They may have forgotten all about that day, but he hadn’t. He never forgot—not a victim, not a face, not a name, or the deep hatred that he felt for every one of those who had managed to bring him down.

He took another sip of his coffee as his dark gaze roamed over the English landscape. Memories came rushing at him like oncoming traffic, assaulting him to the point of nearly buckling his knees. The faces of each of his victims stormed through his mind, their screams a haunting soundtrack that continually played over and over again in his mind.

His mission had been cut short, but it wouldn’t turn out that way this time. He had allowed them to get too close to him, their game of cat and mouse playing out for far too long. He had allowed their contest to take precedence, stealing his focus from his mission.

He had been the hunted and they the prey. Now, things would be much different. The tables were about to be turned.

His smile returned as he thought about how shocked they would be when they received word that he’d escaped. He could imagine their panic and fear already. He hoped they remembered his last words as they’d dragged him away because that parting promise was about to become a reality for every single one of them.

_“I will get out and when I do, I will hunt down each one of you! Not even your families will be safe!”_

He was going to keep that promise no matter how long it took him to accomplish his goal. He just might pick up where he left off while he was at it. Eight was such an unsatisfactory number for his legacy to end on. They had already labeled him a prolific serial killer, but that wasn’t enough for him. He always wanted more, his taste for blood unsatisfied.

He turned away from the scenic view of the lake, making his way to his desk. He stopped before the wall where he’d mapped out his plans along with pictures of each member of the British Secret Service team that had ultimately been his undoing.

He thoughtfully tapped each of the seven pictures that he’d hung on the wall. He was going to have to do a lot of research in order to track each of these agents down, but he would find them and extract his revenge. Not even their families would be safe from his blade.

First, he would have his way with their loved ones…the ones that were held most dear, forcing the agent to watch and to beg for him to stop. Then, when he was finished, he would turn his attention to the agent who had had a hand in his demise.

Atkinson.

Newberry.

Archer.

Powell.

LaFollette.

MacAlister.

Pennyworth.

The golden team. The best of the best. The finest that the British Secret Service had to offer. They were the most highly decorated team at the time of his capture. Since then, no one had been able to do what they had accomplished.

He knew he was going to have to be quick about his work. They would be trying to track his every move, bringing the best back to recapture him. Once he took down the first agent, the others would no doubt go into hiding, making his task that much harder, but they wouldn’t be able to evade him for long.

He crushed his cup in his hand, hot coffee dripping onto the floor. He would not be denied his vengeance. He’d been scheming and plotting and planning since the moment they buried him in that dungeon forty years ago.

Now, it was time to get back to work.

In one swift motion, he picked up a dagger, slamming it into Alfred Pennyworth’s picture. He was going to thoroughly enjoy every single second spent with Pennyworth and family. Moving to America had done little to diminish his interest in the former agent.

Wayne Manor would be his final destination. He just had a few things to attend to first in London. 

**_Wayne Manor; August 3rd, 15:13 EST_ **

“Ni…Ni-Ni!” Kaia gasped his name between fits of giggles as she held her little hands up in front of her face. “Don’t splash me!”

"It’s Liam too,” Nicholas claimed, splashing his friend instead.

“It was Rex!” Liam insisted.

“I think it was all of you,” Diana commented with a grin as she stood at the edge of the swimming pool. “Do you want to get out for a snack yet?”

“No way!” Bella yelled, slapping her hands on top of the water. “We having fun!”

“Later, mama,” Nicholas decided. “We want to play more.”

“Okay,” she relented, enjoying seeing the kids having so much fun together. It warmed her heart that their friends’ children were so close.

Diana made her way to where Shayera and Dinah were sitting on the other side of the pool. “I knew you weren’t going to get them out of the pool,” Shayera told her. “I can hardly get Rex and Bella out of the bathtub.”

“I have a feeling this little one is going to be like a fish when she gets older,” Dinah replied, holding two-month-old Charlotte in her arms. “It takes twice as long to give her a bath then it normally would because all she wants to do is play in the water.”

“Did you hear Lois thought she was pregnant again?” Diana asked as she settled into her sun chair.

“Really?” Shayera asked.

“She called me in a panic last week, worried that she was pregnant,” Diana explained. “It turned out to be a false alarm.”

“I can’t imagine Lois with more kids,” Dinah replied with a shake of her head. “She has her hands full with Clark, Lara, and Jonathan.”

“That’s why she was in a panic,” Diana agreed with a chuckle. “I managed to talk her down while she did a pregnancy test. She started laughing hysterically when it came back negative.”

“Clark should just get fixed and be done with it,” Shayera said.

Dinah frowned as she brushed a fly off Charlotte’s head. “Would that work on a Kryptonian?” she asked. “I mean wouldn’t his sperm be super-powered too? They’d probably blast their way through.”

All three women laughed, Shayera nearly choking on her iced tea. “Not while I’m taking a drink, Dinah,” she sputtered.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure I don’t want to ask,” Diana thoughtfully said. “That’s just a little too much information that I’d rather not know about.”

“Lois should just get her tubes tied, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about it,” Shayera decided.

“Knowing her luck, she’d still get pregnant,” Dinah responded with a chuckle.

“I heard that,” Lois said as she approached with kids in tow.

Lara and Jonathan didn’t waste any time jumping directly into the pool to play with their friends. “We were just wondering if Clark could get fixed or not, so you don’t have to worry about having any more kids,” Shayera told her.

“Don’t think I haven’t investigated the possibility,” Lois revealed as she took a chair next to Diana. “After last week’s pregnancy scare, I’m seriously looking into which one of us is going to keep the number of kids at two.”

“Bruce took care of it right after Kaia was born,” Diana divulged. “No more babies for us.”

“Yes, but if your goddesses decided you should have another baby, no vasectomy in the world is going to prevent that,” Shayera reminded her.

Diana shrugged her shoulders as she brought the straw of her iced tea to her lips. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I wouldn’t mind having another baby.”

“You want another one?” Dinah questioned her, looking at the Amazon as if she’d just lost her mind. “You already have Nicholas and Kaia plus Dick and Donna’s twins Conner and Claire.”

“I’d still love another child,” Diana admitted, smiling as she watched Nicholas and Kaia playing in the pool with their friends. “We have a big home and lots of love to give.”

“Better you than me,” Lois stated. “I don’t think I have the energy for anymore.”

“Have you thought about cutting back at work?” Shayera asked her.

“Are you kidding me?” Lois exclaimed. “I’m not ready to give up my career to be a stay-at-home mom. Besides, I’d end up going insane if I were home with the kids all day. Don’t get me wrong. I love them dearly, but I need adult time with adult talk with adult swearing and adult problems.”

“I’ve actually considered cutting back from my League duties a little bit,” Diana revealed.

“Really?” Shayera said, scrunching up her nose. “I can’t imagine you enjoying being home all the time. You’re an Amazon. You need to be in the heat of battle and chasing the bad guys.”

“I’m not saying that I will, but I have considered it,” Diana clarified. “Nicholas and Kaia are just growing up so fast. I don’t want to miss anything. Besides, mother is pushing me to reopen the Themyscirian Embassy.”

Lois stared at her friend, her violet eyes narrowing with suspicion. “You’re awfully sentimental,” she pointed out. “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”

“I promise you I’m not pregnant,” Diana assured her. “It’s just that Tim and Cassie are getting pretty serious. He’s hardly home anymore. Damian is getting older and spending a lot of time with Raven and the Titans. The house is starting to feel a little empty.”

“It doesn’t matter how old they get, Diana,” Lois pointed out. “They will always need you, and they’ll always find their way home.”

“Wow,” Dinah replied. “Never imagined you to be sentimental, Lois.”

“I have my moments,” she responded.

Alfred arrived with another fresh pitcher of iced tea along with a tray of fresh fruit and snacks. He accidentally knocked over Shayera’s glass as he reached for it, glass crashing onto the concrete. “I beg your pardon, miss,” he murmured with a gasp, his brow furrowed as he quickly knelt to pick up the broken pieces.

“It’s all right, Alfred,” Shayera assured him, sitting up to help him. “Just start the margaritas flowing and we’ll be all set.”

“No, Miss Shayera,” he told her, holding up his hand. “I’ll clean this up and then I bring you all some margaritas.” 

Diana studied Alfred, noticing that something wasn’t quite right with him. He’d seemed a little distracted the last couple of days, causing her to be concerned that something was wrong. She noticed what appeared to be a telegram sticking up out of the top of his pocket. She hoped that he hadn’t received bad news from England.

“I’ll get you another glass, Shay,” Diana offered as she followed Alfred inside the house to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard door, she reached for a glass, glancing over her shoulder at Alfred who was retrieving a broom and dustpan. “Alfred, are you okay? Is something wrong?”

Alfred walked past her, making his way to the French doors without answering. He stopped short when she called his name again. He turned to look at her as if seeing her but not really comprehending her presence. “I’m sorry, Miss Diana,” he apologized, eyebrows knitting together. “What did you say?”

Diana approached him, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder. “Are you all right?” she asked, her blue eyes filled with concern. “You haven’t been yourself the last couple of days.”

“Yes, I’m fine,” he tried to assure her. “I’ve just been a little distracted is all.”

“Is it something back home in England?” she asked. “Is your family all right?”

“Yes, they’re fine,” he replied. “I just received a letter from my sister the other day. She’s doing quite well. Thank you for asking.”

Diana frowned as he abruptly turned to pass through the French doors, leaving her standing there without another word. Something was wrong, but she had no idea what it could be. She didn’t want to invade his privacy. At the same time, she wanted him to know that they were all there for him if he was having a problem.

Deciding that she would talk to Bruce later, Diana exited the house to find the kids getting out of the swimming pool. “We’re hungry, mama,” Kaia told her, standing on the edge of the pool dripping wet.

“I’ll get you some snacks and something to drink if you want to sit in the grass,” she replied. “Your towels are laying over there on the chair.”

Returning to the kitchen, Diana picked up the tray of snacks and drinks that Alfred had already prepared for the children, noticing that Alfred’s cell phone was ringing. She picked it up and turned around to find Alfred entering the kitchen.

“Alfred, your cell phone is ringing,” she told him as she held out his phone to him.

He hastily snatched it out of her hand with a fierce scowl that stunned the Amazon princess. “I’ll take that,” he icily stated with a glare.

“I didn’t look at it or anything,” Diana tried to tell him, but it was too late. Alfred was already rushing out of the kitchen as he answered his phone.

Deciding that she didn’t want to eavesdrop, Diana picked up the tray and exited the kitchen, taking the snacks to the children who were playing in the grass. She couldn’t shake the sense of dread that swelled inside of her. Something was definitely wrong with Alfred. She hoped that he would talk to them so they could help him. 

He was part of this family no matter what happened, and nothing would ever change that.

XXX

“Yes, I received the message,” Alfred softly confirmed, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure no one was around to hear his conversation, especially a certain Amazon with enhanced hearing. “Are you positive?”

Alfred rubbed his forehead as his mind raced, dread churning like a sickening ache in his gut. “Yes, I bloody understand the ramifications,” he angrily snapped as resolve slowly seeped through every fiber of his being. “We must immediately go to Code Black.”

He began to wander around the entertainment room as he listened carefully, plans that had been laid out years ago finally being put into motion after all this time. He stopped before a framed picture of Nicholas and Kaia. He picked up the frame, staring affectionately at it as tears began to gather in his eyes.

He had greatly feared this day would come, and now it was finally here. He steeled himself against the furious rush of emotions and memories that the news had created in him. It felt like yesterday that he had been leading his team in the hunt for a monster, and yet, it felt like another lifetime ago.

Setting the frame down, his gaze fell on the framed picture of Bruce and Diana with Nicholas and Kaia surrounded by the rest of the family. It was his favorite picture of all, showing how much this beautiful family had been blessed beyond imagining. He never would’ve dreamed that his charge’s life would turn out like this. It filled him with immense pride.

“I’ll get started right away,” he confirmed. “Yes…yes, I’ll see you then.”

Alfred drew a shuddering breath as he turned away from the pictures of the family, knowing what he had to do. It was the only way to keep the people that he loved most safe. He needed to put a stop to this nightmare before it fully began.

He immediately walked out of the entertainment room, making his way to his bedroom. There was much work that had to be done before tomorrow morning arrived.

**_Wayne Manor; August 3rd; 18:45 EST_ **

Bruce Wayne’s azure eyes narrowed suspiciously as he stared down his opponent, trying to decide on his next move. His opponent merely smiled back, giggling as he glared at her. His Batglare had never worked on her, her brother, or her mother. He must be losing his edge.

“Do you have any nines?” he asked.

“Go Fish, daddy!” Kaia squealed with delight.

“This is so not right,” Bruce grumbled as he drew another card, adding it to the already growing stack in his hand. “I’m getting beat by a four-year-old.”

Kaia giggled again, holding her two cards against her mouth to help stifle her laughter to no avail. “Do you have a three?” she asked from her seat across the table from her father, excitedly kicking her legs back and forth.

“Are you kidding me?” he said. “I think I’ve got almost all the cards in my hand.”

Bruce handed her the requested card, Kaia’s grin growing broader as she took the card. Diana attempted to suppress a smile of amusement as she glanced at her husband and daughter playing cards. They were fierce competitors in every way. It was too bad Bruce had met his match in his daughter.

“What’s this word?” Nicholas asked as he pointed at the book they were reading together.

“Let’s sound it out,” Diana suggested, loving how eager her son was about learning to read. “What is this first letter?”

“D,” Nicholas said.

“Good job,” she praised him. “And the next?”

“R…and that’s an ‘A’,” he told her.

“Dra…” Diana prompted him.

“Dragon!” Nicholas proudly exclaimed.

Diana tilted her head to kiss the crown of his head, tightening her hold on her son. “Great job, Nicholas,” she replied. “You’re going to be reading books all by yourself before you know it.”

“I win!” Kaia excitedly cried. “I beat daddy!”

“Again,” Bruce dryly added as he gathered up the cards.

“Daddy, I can read books,” Nicholas told him.

“Way to go, Nick,” he told him. “Before you know it, you’re going to be reading chapter books before you get to first grade.”

“He’s a genius just like his father,” Diana said, ruffling Nicholas’s hair.

Alfred entered with a bedtime snack for Nicholas and Kaia, setting the tray down without a word before turning and walking out just as quickly as he had arrived. Bruce and Diana shared a look, one that spoke volumes about their worry for the British Butler.

“Hurry up and eat your snack,” Diana encouraged them. “You two had a big day playing in the pool all afternoon.”

“It was so funny when Jon jumped into the pool and splashed Rex and Liam,” Nicholas said with a laugh.

“He splashed me too, daddy,” Kaia told him, patting his arm to get his attention.

“It’s a good thing you’re a good swimmer,” he replied.

“That’s because I’m strong like mama,” Kaia informed him as she put her graham cracker down, holding up her arms and making muscles for him to feel.

“I can see it, Kai,” he replied as he gently squeezed her upper arm.

“Okay, you two need to get into your pajamas and brush your teeth,” Diana reminded them.

“I want Pappoús to tuck me in,” Kaia decided as Alfred reentered the room to clean up from snack time.

“I’m sorry, Miss Kaia, but not tonight,” he stated, his voice unemotional as he abruptly walked out without another word.

Bruce picked Kaia up, throwing her high up into the air. “Come on, princess,” he said. “I’ll tuck you into bed.”

“Will you read me ‘Goodnight Moon’?”

“Don’t you want to read a different book?” he asked.

“No, I love it,” she insisted as he carried her out of the entertainment room, followed by Diana and Nicholas.

“I think you have the whole book memorized by now,” he told her.

“No, I don’t think so, daddy,” she decided.

“I think so,” he said as he entered her bedroom.

Getting the children to bed, Bruce and Diana headed back downstairs, anxious to see if they could find out what was going on with Alfred. “You see what I’m talking about?” Diana asked him as they entered the library to talk.

“He’s definitely not himself,” Bruce agreed with a frown as he sat down on the couch.

“It’s just that I’ve never seen him like this before,” she said, joining him on the couch. “I don’t want to intrude on his privacy, but I’m worried about him.”

“It’s not like him to turn Kaia down,” Bruce replied. “Even if he is having a bad day, he’d still jump at the chance of tucking her into bed and reading her a book.”

“Do you think we should talk to him or just give him some space and hope that everything is all right?”

Bruce thought about it for a long moment before responding. “Let’s wait and see how he is tomorrow,” he ultimately decided. “If he’s still not himself, I’ll talk to him.”

“All right,” she agreed, leaning into her husband. “I hope he’s okay.”

Bruce began to stroke her hair as he became lost in his thoughts. “Me too,” he murmured, wondering what was going on with his surrogate father.

**_Blüdhaven; August 3rd, 20:23 EST_ **

The wailing cry of twins was enough to unsettle even the calmest of nerves as Donna lightly bounced Conner in her arms while Dick paced the floor with Claire. Neither of the five-month-olds seemed content no matter what they did or how long they held them.

“Well, they can’t be hungry,” Dick yelled at Donna. “We just fed them over half an hour ago.”

“And they can’t be wet,” Donna yelled back. “We just changed them fifteen minutes ago.”

“What do you think it is?” Dick asked her, panic simmering in his eyes.

“How do I know?” she shot back. “These are my only children. I have as much experience as you do. Actually, you probably have more with Nicholas and Kaia.”

“I wasn’t at home when they were born,” he reminded her, switching Claire to his other shoulder. “I was already in my loft here in Blüdhaven.”

“Well, something is obviously wrong here,” she stated, grabbing a pacifier and trying to get her son to take it.

Conner wanted nothing to do with it as he continued to wail, tears streaming down his face. He twisted his head back and forth, refusing to take the pacifier. His face scrunched up and turned red, his little hands curled into tight fists of frustration as he arched his back.

“Maybe it’s gas,” Dick decided.

“Both of them at the same time?”

Dick shrugged a shoulder as he adjusted Claire’s blanket. “Could be,” he thoughtfully replied. “Have you got a better idea? If so, I’m all ears…at least until I go deaf from their screaming.”

“Maybe I should call Diana to see if she has any ideas,” Donna suggested.

“Anything is better than this,” he shouted back.

Donna picked up her cell phone, calling her sister with a frantic need for help. She picked up after two rings. “Diana, help! The twins will not stop screaming,” she told her. “We’ve done everything we can think of and nothing is working. What do we do?”

Dick tried to listen in on the conversation, but it was difficult to hear anything with a screaming baby on his shoulder. He patted his daughter’s back, desperate to make her stop crying. Nothing, though, seemed to satisfy or soothe her even for a moment.

He watched as Donna moved to sit down on the couch, laying Conner on her lap. She gently put the tip of her finger in his mouth, running it along his gums. A lightbulb suddenly went off in his head as he quickly sat down and did the same thing with Claire, feeling a slight bump over the top of her gumline.

Dick and Donna both looked up at each other at the exact time. “Teething!” they both yelled, almost hysterical with relief that they’d discovered the source of the problem.

“You’re the best, Di!” Donna exclaimed with glee before hanging up.

“Do we even have anything for teething?” Dick asked with a frown. “We didn’t really anticipate this yet.”

“I think I received some teething rings at my baby shower,” Donna told him. “We have to put them in the refrigerator so they’re cold. In the meantime, we can give them some Infant’s Tylenol.”

“I’m ready to try anything…don’t you agree, Claire?” Dick asked, holding his daughter up before him.

Claire put her fist in her mouth, gnawing on her fingers in hopes of getting some relief as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Dick gently placed his hand on her cheek and forehead, frowning at how warm she felt to the touch.

“You know I think Claire feels warm,” he called to his wife. “I thought she did earlier, but I chalked it up to her throwing a fit.”

“Conner feels a little warm too,” Donna decided as she returned from the bathroom with the pain reliever. “This should help them feel better.”

“I can’t believe they’re getting teeth already,” Dick said as Donna gave Conner some medicine before moving on to Claire. “It seems just like yesterday they were born. Next thing we know, they’re going to be driving.”

Donna stared at him with a frown. “Can we at least get through teething before we even think about driver’s licenses?” she asked as she rubbed Conner’s back.

Dick laughed, knowing they were both feeling frazzled at that moment. “I was just thinking about how they’re growing up so fast,” he clarified. “They’re going to be walking before we know it. Do you think they’ll end up taking our places with the Titans…you know the next generation?”

Donna sighed as she sank onto the couch with Conner. “I don’t know, but I hope they have my gifts to protect them,” she replied. “I can’t bear the thought of them getting hurt.”

Dick grinned as he bounced Claire on his lap. “Just think—Nick, Kaia, Claire, and Conner leading the next generation of Titans.”

“That would be pretty awesome,” she admitted. “I’m not so sure that Bruce wants Nick and Kaia to follow in their parents’ footsteps, but I don’t think he’s going to be able to keep them from it. You can already see how gifted they are in so many ways and they’re only four and five years old.”

“What do you think, Claire?” Dick said, holding her up in front of him. “Do you think you’re going to fly like your mama?”

Donna couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Hera,” she murmured. “I pray that day doesn’t come any time soon.”

“I wonder who would win in an arm-wrestling match between Claire and Kaia?” Dick wondered out loud.

“That’s what you wonder about?”

Dick shrugged a shoulder. “Just a thought.”

“Hey,” Donna said, her lips beginning to spread into a knowing smile. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Exactly,” she replied. “No more screaming or crying.”

“Mine’s asleep,” Dick told her, looking down at his daughter sleeping in his arms.

“So is mine,” she confirmed, almost giddy with relief.

“Diana is a genius,” Dick decided as he stood to his feet.

“Let’s get them to bed before they wake up,” she said, following him to the nursery.

Putting the twins in their cribs, Dick and Donna made a hasty retreat, quietly closing the door behind them. “We did it,” Dick whispered to his wife as they returned to the living room.

They both flopped onto the couch next to each other, the backs of their heads resting against the back of the couch. “That was brutal,” she muttered.

“Why do they always make parenthood look so glamorous and easy in commercials and magazine ads?”

“We need to write our own book that tells the cold, hard truth about being a parent,” she agreed.

Dick turned to gaze at his wife, his lips quirking. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” he confessed, taking her hand in his.

She turned to look at him, a smile touching her lips. “Me either.”

Dick brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “Care to share a relaxing bubble bath with me?”

“That sounds wonderful,” she readily agreed as she stood to her feet.

“I’m so happy we found a house with an extra-large bathtub,” he told her.

“You start the bath and I’ll grab the wine.”

“Hurry,” he urged her as he headed towards the bathroom, suddenly feeling more awake than he had been a few minutes ago.

Dick started the bathtub before removing his clothes. He turned to see Donna standing in the doorway with a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and nothing else but a smile. “Is that fast enough for you?”

Dick groaned as his hungry gaze slowly traveled over her amazing body. No one would ever guess that she had given birth to twins, but, then again, she was most definitely blessed by the gods in every way conceivable. He was aching to explore every inch of that blessed body. He just hoped that the twins allowed him the time that he wanted to spend with her.

Donna made her way to him, setting down the bottle of wine and the glasses before wrapping her arms around him. “I’ve missed you,” she murmured, her lips finding his.

Dick returned her kiss, pulling her closer to him. “I’ve missed you too,” he replied.

Donna tilted her head as Dick began to kiss behind her ear only for her to abruptly pull back out of his intimate embrace. “Did you hear that?”

Dick frowned as he listened intently. “No, I don’t hear anything,” he told her. “Now, where were we?”

“I thought I heard Claire.”

“They’re out, Troia…and I want in…if you know what I mean,” he flirted with a devilish smirk.

“You’re terrible,” she said with a giggle.

“Come here,” he murmured as he pulled her back to him, determined to have his way with her multiple times before the night was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: FINALLY! It's so good to be back! Hope you enjoy the ride I have in store for you! :)
> 
> UP NEXT: Jason and Artemis hit a rough patch of sorts, Alfred leaves for London forcing the Batfamily to have a meeting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Poor Alfred! He loves his family so much he'll do anything to protect them.
> 
> UP NEXT: Flash has an announcement, Donna struggles, and Alfred meets up with his old team.
> 
> Thanks for the karmas, follows, and reviews! You guys are the best! :)

Chapter 2

** Gotham; August 4th, 01:03 EST **

“Did you see where he went?”

“No…I can’t find him,” Artemis stated, turning in circles. “Wait! I see him! He’s heading north!”

“I’ll cut him off,” Red Hood confirmed.

“Not if I get a hold of him first,” she murmured to herself.

“I heard that,” he muttered with a grunt as he hoisted himself up and over a piece of equipment. “Behave yourself, Red. Remember the last time?”

“That wasn’t my fault,” she ground out as she raced across the rooftop.

“Bats didn’t quite see it that way,” he reminded her.

“Do you think I care?”

“We promised, Red,” he stated, his breathing growing exerted.

“I know…I know,” she groused, pausing as she leaped from one rooftop to the next. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“I’ll make it up to you later,” he promised.

“Maybe like breakfast in bed?”

“I have something better,” he told her. 

“What is it?

“Let’s just stop Black Spider first before he gets away.”

“What the—”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure,” she murmured.

Red Hood quickened his pace, bursting through a rooftop access door to find Black Spider lying unconscious on the ground. With weapons drawn and ready, he quickly scanned the area to find no one there…not even Artemis.

“Where are you?” he demanded to know. “Are you all right?”

At that moment, Artemis appeared with her Bow of Ra drawn, racing straight towards him. She scowled at him as she looked down at the unconscious villain. “What happened?”

“I was just about to ask you,” he stated.

“I was chasing Black Spider, and this dark figure came out of nowhere,” she revealed, lowering her weapon as she surveyed the rooftop.

“Who was it?”

Artemis shook her head as she finally knelt next to Black Spider. “I have no idea,” she replied. “Whoever it was dressed in black. They practically blended in with the night. They were there one moment intercepting Black Spider and then gone the next.”

“Was it a man or a woman?”

“No clue,” she said as she checked for a pulse. “He’s out cold, but he’s alive.”

“Any sign of injuries?”

“None that I can see,” she confirmed.

“That’s weird,” he muttered to himself. “How did they take him out?”

“I couldn’t see everything,” she confessed. “Part of my view was blocked. It all happened so fast.”

“Well, we wanted to stop him,” he said as he holstered his weapons. “I guess that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, but if there’s someone out there working solo, it could interfere with our patrol,” she pointed out. “We have no idea which side they’re really on.”

“Bats hasn’t always been happy about someone working apart from the clan, but it has happened in the past,” he admitted.

“And he didn’t have a stroke?”

Jason snorted in amusement. “Actually, no,” he told her, kneeling to handcuff Black Spider. “Let’s get him downstairs so he can be picked up.”

“And then are you going to tell me what you’re up to?”

Jason smirked beneath his mask as he stood to his feet, wanting to tell her now, but he preferred a private moment that didn’t include Black Spider even if he was unconscious. “Yes, once we’re alone.”

Artemis eyed him for a long moment before leaning down to pick up their unconscious prisoner. “Well, let’s get going then,” she decided. “I think I need something to eat before we continue patrolling.”

“I know just the place,” he said with a grin before tapping his commlink. “O, we have a pickup.”

“Triangulating your position,” Oracle responded. “Thanks, RH.”

“Hey, you haven’t heard any rumors about a new player in town, have you?” Hood asked.

“Now that you bring it up, I have heard a couple of rumors about a figure in black taking down bad guys the last couple of nights,” Oracle revealed. “I take it you had a run-in with this mysterious person?”

“Not really a run-in so much as a drive-by,” Hood told her. “It was a hit and run with Black Spider receiving the worse end of the deal.”

“Hmmm…it sounds like what I’ve been hearing,” Oracle confirmed. “Quick knock off with little to no eyewitness information.”

“Same here,” Hood stated. “Artemis just spotted someone in black. Here and then gone without a sign.”

“New player could be a Meta,” Oracle wondered out loud. “Bats definitely won’t be thrilled with that.”

“Anything is possible in Gotham,” Jason said.

“Let me do some digging,” she decided. “I’ll get back to you.”

“We’ll be on the lookout in the meantime.”

“Sounds good,” Oracle agreed. “Better let Bats know what you experienced. He’s not going to be happy if we have an unknown variable in town.”

“You’ve got that right,” Jason replied. “Hood out.”

Artemis unceremoniously dumped Black Spider on the pavement before tying him to the light pole for the police to pick up. “So, looks like we’ve got an enigma on our hands,” she said.

“I’d like to unravel it as soon as possible,” he replied as they headed to their waiting bikes.

Artemis looked at him for a moment before climbing onto her bike. “You don’t think this unknown person is here to help?”

“Don’t know yet,” he said with a shrug. “Just because they took down Black Spider doesn’t mean that they don’t have an ulterior motive that could create a whole lot of trouble for Gotham and us.”

“It could be more help,” she pointed out as she slipped her helmet on.

“It could be a disaster in the making…attempt to win our trust only to stab us in the back later,” he countered.

“So, where are we going, mister pessimist?” she asked.

“Just follow me,” he told her. “I’ll never lead you astray.”

“Oh, Ra, help me,” she muttered as she started up her bike, revving the engine.

Artemis had a feeling she knew where he was headed as she followed him through the streets of Gotham. It was the first place he had taken her that night in Gotham when she had been investigating the visiting ambassador who had first captured her attention. He had turned out to have secret plans that had nothing to do with representing his country in peace talks and everything to do with Talia al Ghul.

She watched as he pulled into the back of the diner parking lot ahead of her, getting off his bike as she pulled up next to him. Shutting her bike down, she pulled her helmet off to find Jason standing next to her with his mask off and a diamond ring in his extended hand.

“I wanted to bring you here for a reason,” he told her as he looked down at the engagement ring. “I know it’s not very romantic, but it’s the place where I knew that was falling in love with you.”

Artemis stared at the ring in stunned disbelief. She knew that she was in love with him, but she had never thought about marriage. It didn’t feel like it was something that she had needed in her life let alone wanted. Gazing at the engagement ring that he had picked out for her, she found that thinking might be changing.

“Will you marry me?” he softly asked, tension beginning to wreak havoc on him.

“Yes…I think we should consider it,” she tentatively replied.

“Consider it?” he asked, confused. “What do you mean consider it?”

“It’s not something that I’ve thought about,” she confessed. “I always thought it was more for Diana and Donna, but I think it’s something that we should talk about.”

“So, is that a yes or a no?” he questioned her, his heart sinking with her lack of enthusiasm. Her reaction had stunned him senseless, leaving him heartbroken.

Artemis clasped her hand on top of the ring, her fingers wrapping around his. “I’m not saying no, Jason,” she replied. “I’m saying let’s discuss it.”

Jason stared at her, stunned by her response. This was not at all how he thought tonight was going to go. “I see,” he muttered, yanking his hand and the ring away from her. He quickly tucked the diamond safely back into his pocket. “Let’s get something to eat. We still have to find that mysterious stranger.”

“Jason…wait,” Artemis said.

“No, it’s okay,” he stiffly told her as he walked past her, looking straight ahead. “Let’s eat so we can get back out there.”

Artemis’s eyes fell closed in frustration, knowing she had hurt him. She jogged to catch up to him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to stop. “Would you please listen to me?”

Jason bit his lip as he turned to face her, folding his arms against his chest as he took up a defensive stance. “What is it?” he snapped.

“I love you, and I want to be with you,” she stated.

“But?”

“I’m just not certain how I feel about marriage,” she confessed, averting her gaze. “It’s just going to take me a little time to get used to the idea.”

“You had to have seen this coming.”

“No, not at all,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “I’ve never really thought about getting married.”

“Is it me that you’re not certain about or marriage in general?”

“It’s not you, Jason,” she insisted with a frown of frustration. “I just don’t know how I feel about being owned by someone.”

“Marriage isn’t about owning anyone,” he argued. “It’s about committing to someone that you love. It’s telling the world that I love this person…that I’ve chosen this person to spend my life with.”

She drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “Can we discuss it more?” she asked, her hand coming to rest on top of his forearm still fixed tightly against his chest.

“I guess,” he reluctantly agreed.

“I love the ring,” she confessed, relieved when she felt him relax minutely. “Please, hold on to it for me until I’ve had more time to think about it.”

Jason eyed her as his mind worked overtime to figure out what he should do. “So, you want me to propose to you again in the future…something more romantic?”

“If you don’t do it, I just might propose to you instead,” she told him with a smirk that caused his own lips to curl ever so slightly despite his determination to stay angry.

“Now, that would be different,” he reluctantly admitted.

“When have we ever done things the conventional way?” she pointed out as she drew closer, intentionally invading his personal space. She knew how her proximity could affect him and was resolved to use it to her advantage. “We’ve always done things our way.”

“I guess you’re right,” he replied as he slowly lowered his arms.

“I’m always right,” she murmured as she claimed his lips in a scorching kiss that quickly melted away any lingering tension and anger that he might have been harboring at that moment.

“You keep me on my toes, Red,” he confessed to her, kissing her once more before walking hand-in-hand towards the diner.

** Wayne Manor; August 4th, 02:10 EST **

Alfred put the rest of his belongings into his suitcase before straightening up to glance around the room that he had called his own for the last forty-plus years. He smiled to himself as memories of the first moment he had arrived at Wayne Manor rose in his mind as well as so many others—taking care of Mister and Missus Wayne, Bruce’s birth, the tragic deaths of beloved friends, struggling to raise a distraught boy who had lost his whole world, the pride that filled him when Bruce married his true love, the arrivals of Nicholas and Kaia into their world. 

He momentarily struggled to compose himself, knowing he couldn’t dwell on what he was leaving behind. He needed to focus on stopping the rampage of a monster and saving the lives of the people that he loved most. If all went well, he would hopefully see them all again someday soon.

He tucked a small picture of Nicholas and Kaia with Conner and Claire safely into a hidden pocket in his suitcase before forcing himself to snap it shut. Picking up his driving cap, he turned to flip the light off in his bedroom, silently closing the door behind him.

He knew that he couldn’t delay any longer or risk being caught. Master Bruce and the boys would be out patrolling Gotham for at least another couple of hours. Miss Diana was sound asleep upstairs, having returned from a League mission just an hour or so ago. He quickened his steps as he headed for the secret door in the butler’s pantry that led out to the garage.

He took a lingering look at his beloved kitchen, all the laughter and joy that had been shared here over the last several years bombarding him and stealing his breath. His gaze momentarily wandered over the countless pictures of the family that he had taken, placing them proudly on the doors of his refrigerator.

So many moments that he’d been able to capture on film when his beloved family had been caught unawares. A proud smile from Bruce as he played with Nicholas and Kaia, a laughing Diana as she beat Tim in chess, Tim trying to teach Nicholas how to ride his bicycle, Damian doing his best to keep from breaking a smile as Diana attempted to tickle Bruce and steal his cookie.

He would treasure these memories and so many more, taking them with him in his heart and his mind. They would get him through lonely nights and long days hunting for someone that he couldn’t even describe as being remotely human. No one could do the things that animal did and be called human.

He lightly ran the tips of his fingers over a picture of him holding Nicholas as a baby just an hour after his birth. Swallowing hard, he quickly turned away, reminded once again why he was doing this. He made a silent get away out of the manor and into the garage where his little sports car awaited him.

They’d all be stirring in a few hours, getting ready for their day before wandering into the kitchen in search of him and the breakfast that he always had waiting for them. Unfortunately, they were going to have to get along without him for now…possibly longer if he failed.

Getting into his sports car, Alfred started up the motor before quickly driving away without looking back. A look back in the rearview mirror would only make things that much harder than it already was to leave his family, but it was for them that he was doing this.

With any luck, he’d be able to draw out the beastly creature who had started all of this forty-some years ago and, with any luck, he’d be able to end it once and for all.

** Wayne Manor; August 4th, 08:16 EST **

Bruce couldn’t shake the nagging sensation that something didn’t feel quite right. He wasn’t certain if it was related to the fact that Alfred hadn’t been himself the last couple of days or if it was something more. All he knew at that moment as he descended the stairs was that he didn’t like it.

He hoped that Alfred was better today. His behavior through dinner and all last evening had been quite atypical for the usual jovial butler. He hoped his family back in England was all right. He knew that Alfred had a sister Margaret and a brother Wilfred living in the London area. Past that, he didn’t think there was any other family left besides the Wayne family.

Entering the foyer, he found Tim sitting cross-legged on the floor with Kaia. “No, Kai,” he told her. “Do it like this.”

“I don’t like it like that,” she insisted with a scowl.

“But don’t you want to learn how to tie your shoes?” he asked her.

“Just leave them tied and I can slip them on and off,” she suggested, deciding that she’d solved the problem.

Bruce chuckled with his daughter’s logic. “She’s got you there,” he told him. “I wouldn’t waste too much time. Damian spent an hour trying to teach her last week, but he gave up when she told him she didn’t like making bunny ears with the laces. It reminded him of her dead rabbit.”

“Don’t talk about my bunny!” Kaia yelled, her sour expression speaking volumes. “Auntie Zee gave him to me, and he died.”

“It’s not Zee’s fault that Elmo died,” Bruce reminded her. “Your bunny got sick, remember?”

“Ni-Ni’s bunny didn’t die,” she pouted.

“No, Nicholas’s bunny ran away because he forgot to latch the hutch door,” he reminded her.

“Can we get new bunnies?” she asked, her face abruptly brightening with the idea.

“Yeah, Dad, can we get new bunnies?” Tim asked with a laugh, a grin playing on his face.

Bruce glared at him. “You are not helping, Tim.”

“Please, daddy?” Kaia begged as she leaped to her feet. She threw her arms around Bruce’s leg as she looked up at him with pleading blue eyes.

“Play with your cat,” he suggested.

“She’s not little anymore,” she said with a frown, tightening her hold on her father’s leg.

Bruce began to walk away, taking his daughter with him. Kaia giggled as Tim scrambled to his feet. “Hey! Get back here! We’re not done yet!”

Diana met him coming down the hallway, the expression on her face causing Bruce’s stomach to drop. He knew that look all too well. “What is it?” he demanded to know, his eyebrows furrowing with immediate concern.

“I need to talk to you alone in the kitchen,” she quietly told him.

“That’s our cue, Kaia,” Tim said, snatching his sister away from Bruce’s leg and carrying her to the entertainment room to allow Bruce and Diana some privacy.

Bruce grasped Diana’s elbow as they headed towards the kitchen, leaning his head in close to hers. “Diana, you’re worrying me,” he told her. “What’s going on?”

“Alfred’s gone,” she revealed as they entered the kitchen.

Bruce was stunned to find the kitchen empty—no breakfast, no Alfred, no sign that he’d even been there recently. It was almost eerie in an unsettling way that only caused his paranoia to spike. “Where is he?” he asked as he headed straight towards Alfred’s bedroom.

“I have no idea,” she replied. “His bedroom is empty.”

“What do you mean empty?”

Opening the door to Alfred’s bedroom, Bruce found that Diana was right. His bed was neatly made, some possessions still in their rightful place while other things were noticeably missing. “This doesn’t make any sense,” he muttered to himself as he began to search the room for clues. “Why would he leave without telling us?”

Diana’s heart clenched with the sense of panic that had settled over her husband, struggling to contain her own sense of worry. She always knew that Bruce and Alfred had shared a special bond. They’d been through so much together over the years. The British butler was more like a father to Bruce than a manservant.

Alfred was family in every sense of the word.

Bruce began opening dresser drawers to find them empty, his panic surging with every passing moment. He went to the antique armoire, opening it to find it empty as well as Diana attempted to call him on his cell phone. They looked at each other as Alfred’s cell phone rang in the room.

Walking towards his writing desk, Bruce pulled one of the drawers open to find Alfred’s cell phone lying inside. Picking it up, he found an envelope beneath it that had his name on it. He stifled the tremor that rolled through him as he reached for the envelope.

“What is it?” she softly asked as Bruce tore open the envelope and began reading the letter inside.

He looked up at Diana, a haunting look in his eyes that caused a shiver to race up her spine. “We need to have a family meeting right away,” he stated, his voice hard like steel.

** Batcave; August 4th, 10:23 EST **

“Anyone know why we were called here?” Jason asked as he walked up the steps of the platform, followed by Artemis.

“No idea, but whatever it is, it isn’t good,” Tim said as he settled into a chair next to Damian. “Bruce and Diana seem rattled about something.”

“I wonder if it has anything to do with the run-in we had last night chasing down Black Spider,” Jason said to Artemis.

“What run-in?” Dick asked as he approached with Donna.

“We’re not quite sure yet,” Artemis told him with a thoughtful frown. “Someone dressed in black from head to toe jumped in and stopped Black Spider before we could get to him.”

“You didn’t get a good look at the person?” Damian asked.

“Not really,” Jason admitted. “I was coming from the front while Artemis was chasing him from behind. She only caught a glimpse of someone. We’re not even sure if it was a male or female.”

“Bruce is going to love to hear there’s a new player in town,” Dick said with a visible grimace.

“Who’s new in town?” Bruce asked as he jogged up the steps. Diana flew up to the platform, landing next to him.

“We’ll tell you about it later,” Jason replied with a frown. “What’s up with the emergency meeting?”

Bruce drew a deep breath as he glanced at Diana who gave him a reassuring nod. She knew this was difficult for him, but things were taken care of for the moment. Zatanna had thankfully jumped at the chance to entertain Nicholas and Kaia while they met to discuss the current situation without having to worry about the kids.

“Cassie has duty with the Titans at one o’clock so we kind of need to get this meeting going before our babysitter has to leave,” Dick said. “What’s going on that you needed all of us here?”

“Alfred is gone,” Bruce stated as he stood before the gathered family with Diana by his side.

“What do you mean gone?” Tim asked, wrinkling his nose. “Like gone on vacation?”

“You’re not saying he’s gone for good, are you?” Donna questioned them. “That would be horrible.”

“We don’t know for sure,” Diana replied, clearly worried. “We believe he wants to return as soon as he can, but we have no idea when that might be.”

“What do you mean?” Dick demanded to know, shaking his head in confusion. “You guys aren’t making much sense.”

“Forty-two years ago, Alfred was the leader of an elite special operations team that was tasked with capturing a serial killer called the Son of Ripper.”

“Son of Ripper?” Damian said with a scowl. “As in Jack the Ripper?”

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed with a nod as he took his seat before his expansive computer system and began bringing up files. “He is not the actual son of Aaron Kosminski who has recently been identified as the actual Jack the Ripper. His name is Callum Fleming.”

“Didn’t he carve up like six or seven prostitutes?” Dick asked.

“Eight,” Diana confirmed. “He left his mark on each of them so everyone would know that it was his handiwork.”

“The letter ‘R’ was carved on the abdomen,” Dick said with a haunting tone, remembering the case files that he’d studied.

Bruce pulled up a picture on his computer screen of one of the Son of Ripper’s victims. Tim made a gagging sound as he visibly winced. “Are you sure this guy isn’t related to the Joker?” Tim said.

“So, what happened to him?” Artemis asked.

“Alfred’s team managed to capture him,” Bruce continued. “They took him to a special prison in England where he was held until four days ago when he managed to escape.”

“It took him forty years to escape?” Jason exclaimed. “How did he manage it after all these years?”

“It’s believed he had inside help as well as outside help from this woman,” Bruce revealed, clicking on a picture of a brunette with striking green eyes.

Dick frowned as he stared at the picture. “Girlfriend or wife?”

“Daughter,” Bruce stated. “Her name is Verity Braun and she’s completely fallen off the grid. No one has seen her for the last week.”

“So, I’m assuming that Alfred returned to England to capture this creep again with his old team,” Tim surmised.

“That…and to protect all of us,” Bruce replied, pulling up a video clip from Fleming’s trial.

They all watched as Callum Fleming threatened to hunt down each of the agents who’d had a hand in his capture before going on to threaten the agents’ families. The video caused a tense silence to settle over the gathered family. It was almost suffocating as Bruce finally ended the video.

“I’d like to see him try to come within a mile of my children,” Donna spat out with a mother’s fury.

Bruce sat back in his chair, crossing his arms against his chest. “The Son of Ripper has no idea who he is dealing with if he decides to come after us,” he said. “That is definitely to our advantage.”

“Poor Alfred,” Tim said. “He left to protect all of us and to stop this maniac.”

“We have to go after him,” Dick insisted. “We can’t just sit back and let him take on this guy all alone.”

“In the letter he left, Alfred asked that we not follow him to England,” Bruce explained. “He said he needed to do this himself, but I think it would be best if Diana and I go to London in case he needs backup.”

“Can we track his position now?” Jason asked.

“Not as the moment,” Bruce revealed. “He left his cell phone behind as well as the tracker I had hidden in his watch and his shoes. I was able to track his car to Gotham Airport. He took my jet to London.”

“Seems he knows all of your tricks,” Jason replied.

“Who do you think taught me?” Bruce retorted.

“Do you have trackers planted on me that I don’t know about?” Diana demanded to know. Her brow knitted in dismay at that thought as she stared at her husband, wanting an answer.

“I plead the fifth,” Bruce readily stated.

“I think you and I will have to continue this conversation later in private,” Diana decided.

“Smart move, Bruce,” Jason muttered under his breath with a smirk.

Artemis elbowed him in the ribs before asking what had been on her mind from the beginning. “So, what’s the plan? Do we even know if this Ripper guy is still in England or if he’s on his way to Gotham?”

“No one has found any trace of him yet either,” Bruce told her. “Diana and I are going after Alfred to help him find this guy while the rest of you take care of Gotham and each other. If Callum does decide to come here, we need to be fully prepared.”

“Looks we’re staying at the manor until this is over, Troia,” Dick announced.

“I’m afraid it’s the safest option right now, especially for Conner and Claire,” Bruce replied as he turned his chair to face Jason and Artemis. “I want you two to keep Nicholas and Kaia safe. I’m entrusting them to you while we’re gone.”

“We will protect them with our life,” Artemis swore to him.

Bruce gave her a nod, a small measure of relief settling over him. “Now, what do you know about this new player in Gotham?”

“Not much,” Artemis admitted. “I just caught a glimpse of him…or her. I’m not even sure who or what it was.”

Bruce seemed to contemplate this for a moment before responding. “Do you think it could be a Meta?”

“Definitely could be,” Jason told him. “The way they handled Black Spider in a matter of a few seconds and then disappearing…they must be a Meta.”

“Or someone who is very well trained,” Artemis added.

“Have you heard about him?” Jason asked.

“Or her,” Artemis corrected him.

Bruce nodded his head as the tension he carried visibly settled into his jaw. “I’ve heard rumors the last couple of days, but I never saw evidence of their existence,” he revealed. “I’ve had Barbara keeping an eye out for me.”

“It sounds like we’ll have to be careful if we run into this…ninja person…at least until we know which side they’re on,” Tim said. 

“Well, it sounds like they could be on our side if they stopped Black Spider,” Dick commented.

“We can’t be too careful,” Bruce stated as his discomfort with the unknowns of the situation became evident on his face. “This person could be someone sent here by Callum Fleming to scout out Gotham for him.”

“I don’t like this,” Damian spouted with a scowl. “Everyone knows that Gotham belongs to us. There shouldn’t be anyone else elbowing in on our territory.”

“We don’t know that for sure yet,” Bruce reminded his son. “Let’s just be cautious until we find out more. If this is someone sent by Callum, there could be others.”

Dick’s expression grew contemplative as he tried to remember everything that he’d learned about the Son of Ripper. “I don’t remember Son of Ripper having partners,” he commented. “Do you think that he could have a whole team working for him?”

“I’m not ruling anything out,” Bruce adamantly stated. “If someone is threatening my family, I want to be prepared for absolutely anything. I’m not taking a chance with any of your lives or the lives of the children.”

“Don’t worry,” Damian told him. “We’re good. We won’t let anything happen to the kids.”

Diana smiled to herself as she glanced at Damian. He was only seven years older than Nicholas and yet he was more adult than an actual child in so many ways. “We appreciate that,” Diana told him. “We hope we can help Alfred and be back in a few days.”

“Are you going to wait a few days to allow Alfred some time to find Fleming?” Donna asked.

“Yes, he deserves a chance to meet with his team and see what they can find,” Bruce confirmed. “We want to be there to help them if we can, though.”

“I guess we better get back home so we can pack the twins up,” Dick told his wife.

“We still have Nick and Kaia’s baby things in the attic,” Diana volunteered. “We can bring them down for Conner and Claire to use.”

“That would be great,” Donna agreed.

“We better get home so Cassie can leave,” Dick reminded her.

“We need to get things around too,” Jason said as he and Artemis got up to leave.

“Who’s going to cook?” Damian asked as he followed everyone down the platform stairs.

“I’m a pretty good cook,” Donna volunteered.

“Or we can always order take out,” Dick interjected.

“Are you saying I’m not a good cook?” Donna asked.

Diana chuckled as they began to argue over whether or not Donna should be the designated cook or not. Donna was probably a better cook than she was, but she wasn’t going to be able to be here to take care of her family. She’d have to leave them in her sister’s capable hands.

She moved to take the chair next to Bruce, noticing how quiet he’d grown. She laid a hand on his forearm, rubbing it affectionately. “It’s going to be all right, Bruce,” she assured him, tilting her head to look at his handsome face lined with worry.

“It’s just all so strange,” he replied as he stared at the pictures of a young Alfred and his team on his computer screen. “Alfred has always been here taking care of me since I was born, taking on the role of parent and then doctor after I became Batman. He’s never really needed my help. Now, the roles have been reversed, and I can’t find him.”

Diana leaned forward, her hand coming to rest on the back of his neck. She gently stroked his hair on the nape of his neck as she pressed her forehead against his temple. “We’ll find him, Bruce,” she promised him. “He’s highly trained and he knows what he’s doing. He has a team waiting for him that will help him. That’s why I think we need to give him a chance to find Callum Fleming himself.”

“You don’t think that we should go to England?” he asked, upset with the notion of not helping Alfred.

“No, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t go,” Diana explained, momentarily pursing her lips in thought. “I just think we need to take a backseat on this one. This is Alfred’s case. We need to let him and his team take the lead on finding Fleming, but be there in case they need our help.”

Bruce released a frustrated huff of annoyance. He knew she was right, but that didn’t make staying out of it any easier. “I don’t like this.”

“We both know how you would feel if Kal interfered on a case in Gotham that was very personal to you,” she pointed out.

“You’re right,” he reluctantly admitted after several long moments, his eyelids falling closed as he drew a shuddering breath. “It’s just the thought of losing him…”

“I know,” she agreed. “He’s like the father I never had. I can imagine how much more deeply the bond you share with him runs after all that you’ve been through together.”

“I can’t imagine my life without him being a part of it,” he found himself confessing.

She tilted her head to kiss his cheek, her hand caressing his other cheek. He suddenly turned towards her, wrapping his arms around her as he buried his face in her hair. She held him for several minutes, neither saying a word as she shared her strength and love with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**_Watchtower; August 5th, 07:43 EST_ **

Flash zipped around the corner, spotting the very people that he had been looking since appearing on the Watchtower. John and Shayera were walking side by side, GL using his power ring to create a wagon to pull their two kids in behind him.

“Hey!” Flash yelled, suddenly appearing beside Shayera. “I’ve been looking all over for you guys.”

“We’re dropping the kids off at daycare before heading to the Founders’ meeting,” John replied.

Rex held up his toy truck to show Uncle Wally. “Cool, T-Rex…hey, Bells,” Flash said, turning his attention back to John and Shayera. “I have to show you something.”

“You better make it quick,” Shay told him. “We have to get to the meeting. You know how Bats is if we’re late.”

Flash visibly shuddered. “Don’t remind me,” he groaned. “I’m still recovering from the last tongue lashing I got when I was late to the meeting.”

“Well, you have to admit that you had it coming,” John responded with a laugh. “You were on your phone planning a date with Linda.”

“It was worth it,” he dreamily decided. “That’s why I have to talk to you guys.”

“Fine…make it quick,” Shay said, lifting Bella out of the wagon.

“Cast your eyes on this,” Flash announced as he presented a dark ruby red box containing a diamond ring. “What do you think?”

“You’re actually going to take the plunge of death?” John said.

Shayera glared at her husband, effectively silencing him. “Is it real?” Shay asked Flash, trying to keep Bella from trying to grab the ring out of the box.

“What do you mean?” Flash nearly yelled. “Of course, it’s real! I’ve been saving up for months.”

“It’s beautiful, Flash,” Shay assured him, taking Rex by the hand as she turned towards her husband. “I’m going to check in the kids in. You make sure that he doesn’t screw up the proposal.”

“What makes you think I’m going to screw up the proposal?” he demanded to know.

John just looked at him with an expression that spoke volumes. “Really?” he replied. “Do you even know how you’re going to propose?”

“Well, no…not really,” he admitted with a frown. “I haven’t gotten that far yet. I just bought the ring yesterday.”

John clapped him on the shoulder, a grin adorning his face. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something romantic,” he assured him. “And if you don’t, I’m sure Linda will still say yes even if you screw it up.”

“You know that’s not very encouraging,” Flash flatly stated. “Shay told you to make sure that I don’t screw this up. You have to help me.”

“I’ll meet you for lunch and we’ll come up with some sort of plan,” John suggested. “In the meantime, I’d check the internet for what not to do when proposing to your girlfriend.”

“You’re so not helpful,” Flash groused, slipping the box into his pocket for safekeeping.

“We’re good to go,” Shayera announced as she exited daycare. “Bella is already telling Miriam how to arrange the chairs and Rex and Liam are plotting how to take over the entire daycare.”

“Sounds like a good time to leave to me,” John ultimately decided.

“Hey, we better hurry,” Flash said, quickening his pace towards the Founders’ conference room.

“I’ve got something we need to discuss,” John revealed, his expression growing grim.

“Okay, that look is not instilling one ounce of peace in my heart,” Flash told him. “Please, don’t make my day bad. I’m in too good of a mood.”

“That’s because it’s not good news,” John confirmed.

“Shay, tell me it’s not as bad as he’s making it seem,” he pleaded with the Thanagarian.

“Well, let’s put it this way,” Shayera replied. “It could be nothing, but I think it’s going to be something and that something is very bad.”

Flash scowled at his friends as they entered the conference room. “You’re as bad as he is.”

The trio was somewhat surprised to find Wonder Woman and Batman ready for the meeting. Batman typically swept into the room like a frightening tornado exactly at the top of the hour when the meeting was about to start. This did not bode well to see him already seated and ready for the meeting.

“Don’t tell me you have bad news too,” Wally groaned as he took his seat. “Man, this started out to be an awesome day for me.”

“Too?” Batman stated, a single raven eyebrow rising beneath his cowl.

“John has bad news, and you look like you have bad news because you’re rarely early for meetings so now I need to prepare myself,” Flash replied as Superman and J’onn entered the room.

“Who has bad news?” Superman asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.

“GL and Bats,” Flash announced.

“What is going on?” J’onn inquired as he leaned forward in his chair with interest.

“I was contacted by Oa yesterday,” John began. “There is a being known as Legionnaire that has been wreaking havoc on the outer reaches. They’ve sent members of the Green Lantern Corps to check into it, but they wanted to make us aware that Legionnaire may be headed our way.”

“Does the Corps have any idea what this being is?” J’onn asked.

“Ganthet said that they have been able to ascertain that it is an energy being possessing great power,” John revealed, clearly concerned about the newest foe. “They believe he’s annihilated three worlds so far, becoming more powerful with every planet he destroys.”

Flash visibly and audibly gulped. “I’m so not liking the sound of this,” he decided. “Let’s hope the Corps can contain him before he decides to vacation here.”

“Keep us posted, John,” Superman told him. “If needed, we can step in and help the Green Lantern Corps put a stop to this Legionnaire.”

“Okay, that was pretty bad news,” Flash said, turning towards Batman. “Now, what’s your bad news, Bats? I hope it’s not any worse than GL’s.”

“Diana and I will need to take a leave of absence,” Batman informed them. “We’re hoping it’s only for a week or so, but there’s a family emergency that we need to handle.”

“Is everything all right?” Shayera questioned him, her brow furrowing with worry.

Diana looked to her husband, hoping that he wouldn’t leave everyone in the dark. Though friends and teammates, they were more like a family. If there was a problem with one member’s family, then everyone was affected. If Bruce didn’t tell them something, everyone was going to be left worrying about what was wrong.

Bruce drew a deep breath, obviously not wanting to divulge any information, but even he knew that he had to give them something to set their minds at ease. “We just need some time off to help Alfred with an old case from his days in the British Secret Service.”

“So, everyone is okay at the moment?” Superman asked.

“Yes, everyone is safe for now,” Diana replied, surprised that Bruce revealed as much as he had. 

She was more surprised that he’d actually shown up for the meeting, but she knew that he had to wrap up a couple of things on the Watchtower before they decide when to leave for London. She hated the idea of being away from Nicholas and Kaia, but it was necessary in order to ensure Alfred’s safe return.

“Wow,” Wally muttered. “This just keeps going from bad to worse. Alfred’s the best. I can’t imagine going to the manor and not eating Alfred’s cooking.”

John put his hand on Wally’s shoulder, squeezing it. “Yes, but you have some good news that you should announce.”

“What is it?” Diana asked.

“I’m going to ask Linda to marry me,” he proudly revealed.

“Don’t screw it up,” Batman stated, standing to his feet. “Keep us updated on Legionnaire. We’ll be there to help if needed.”

“You’re leaving already?” John said.

“I need to finish some things here before leaving,” Batman replied. “Diana will fill me in on everything else.”

Batman made a swift exit, his black cape snapping behind him as he passed through the sliding door. Diana sighed to herself, knowing that her husband wasn’t handling Alfred’s departure well. This was affecting him far more than anyone knew. 

“We’re happy for you, Wally,” Diana told him. “I’m sure Linda will say yes.”

“I hope so,” he mumbled, not feeling so sure at that moment.

**_Wayne Manor; August 5th, 12:22 EST_ **

Damian entered the kitchen only to stop short with the unexpected scene that greeted him. “Whoa,” he muttered.

“Don’t even say it,” Donna warned him as she set plates on the table.

“Alfred is going to have a stroke when he sees his kitchen,” Damian told her.

“I told you not to say it,” she snapped with a scowl. “It’s not my fault. I’m not used to how his kitchen works.”

“It’s still a kitchen,” he replied, taking his usual seat. “How different can it possibly be?”

“Very,” she insisted. “Alfred has his kitchen highly organized, but I still can’t find anything. Nothing is where I thought it would be.”

“Wow!” Tim exclaimed, coming to an abrupt stop. “What happened in here?”

“I couldn’t find anything!” Donna cried. “I promise I’ll put it all back. In the meantime, eat your lunch.”

“These are tacos, right?” Damian asked as he reached for one.

“Yes, they’re tacos!” Donna cried.

“Pappoús is not going to be happy,” Nicholas informed her.

Donna groaned as she rubbed her face with her hands. “Ugh! I’m so dead,” she bemoaned. “Alfred hasn’t even been gone for thirty-six hours and I’ve already destroyed his kitchen!”

“Hmmm…I don’t remember hearing any tornado warnings,” Dick said as he entered the kitchen with Kaia in his arms.

“Don’t start, Richard Grayson, or you’ll find yourself sleeping in the cave,” Donna ground out.

“Hey, tacos!” Dick said, quickly changing the subject as he set Kaia down.

“Smart move, bro,” Tim muttered under his breath.

“What happened to Pappoús’s kitchen?” Kaia asked, tilting her head back as she stood on her tiptoes in a futile effort to see past the stack of pans and utensils on the countertop. “He’s going to cry.”

“No, he won’t, Kaia,” Donna told her as she put the salsa and chips on the table. “I’m going to have all of this cleaned up before he gets back.”

“When is Pappoús coming home?” Kaia asked as she crawled up into her chair.

“Not soon enough, Kai,” Damian said as he reached for a taco.

Donna’s hands found her hips as she glared at the family gathered at the table. “Alright, enough,” she stated. “I’m not Alfred. I can’t cook like Alfred or do half the extraordinary things that he can do, but I’m doing my best. If you don’t like it, you can hit the drive-through at McDonald’s.”

“You’re doing a great job, Troia,” Dick reassured her, kissing her cheek. “I love your cooking.”

“You have to say that or risk sleeping all alone in the med bay in the cave,” Damian quipped.

Dick turned to scowl at his brother. “You are definitely not helping.”

Conner began to fuss at that moment, reminding Donna that her twins needed to be fed as well. “Feeding time,” she said with a sigh.

“I’ll get the bottles ready,” Dick volunteered.

“It feels like they just ate,” Damian said.

“They’re babies,” Tim told him. “They eat like every two or three hours.”

“Actually, we’re finally up to three and a half hours now,” Dick informed them.

“And they’re sleeping longer at night which is a huge win,” Donna added as she warmed the bottles.

Claire began crying, fussing along with her twin. Kaia stood up on her chair with her taco fisted in her hand, checking on the babies in their car seats on top of the kitchen counter. “Hi, Claire,” she cooed to her cousin. “Do you want my taco?”

Tim laughed at his little sister. “Kai, they don’t have any teeth,” he told her. “They can’t eat real food yet. They can only have milk and baby food.”

Kaia turned to look at Tim with a frown before picking up her cup. “They can have my milk,” she offered.

“Not that kind of milk,” Damian replied. “They need baby milk.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Kaia harrumphed as she sat down in her chair.

“They can have applesauce,” Nicholas suggested.

“Sorry, Nick,” Dick said. “Good idea, but no applesauce just yet…just milk and baby food.”

“How do you know all this stuff?” Nick asked as he wrinkled up his nose.

“Google,” Dick said.

“I think you two have done a marvelous job,” Diana commented as she walked into the kitchen with Bruce. “Taking care of twins is a full-time job. I don’t think I could’ve done it.”

“Hurry up and eat,” Bruce told the boys. “We need to meet as soon as you’re done.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Dick said, leaning his back against the kitchen counter as he fed Claire her bottle.

“It’s not,” Bruce stated, turning on his heel and abruptly leaving the kitchen without getting anything to eat.

“Wow,” Damian muttered. “He’s not in a good mood.”

“What’s the matter with daddy?” Nicholas asked his mother.

Diana stroked his hair, a soft smile on her lips. “He’s sad that Pappoús isn’t here,” she told him.

“When is he coming home?” Kaia asked, looking at her mother with those big blue eyes that melted everyone’s heart.

“Not soon enough if you look at the kitchen,” Damian said under his breath.

“I heard that,” Donna ground out as she glared at Damian.

“Alfred had to go home to England to check on his friends,” Diana told her. “He’ll be back as soon as he can.”

“He was going to help me build my Lego Millennium Falcon,” Nick said.

“I can help you,” Damian volunteered.

“He was going to read my new book with me,” Kaia said.

“I can read it with you, Kai,” Tim offered. “What book is it?”

“Harry Potter,” she excitedly told him.

Damian’s forehead creased with concern. “Aren’t you a little young for Harry Potter?”

“Alfred has already read the first book with her,” Diana replied, taking a taco. “She loved it.”

“It’s my favorite,” Kaia told him with a nod.

“You should know by now that the children of Bruce and Diana are very advanced for their age,” Dick pointed out. “They’re like super genius children.”

“Are you going to have more babies?” Kaia asked Diana.

Everyone looked at Diana in amusement, anxious for her response. “Ah, I’m sorry but probably not,” she responded with a smile. “I think our family is big enough right now, don’t you?”

Kaia thought for a moment before responding. “No,” she ultimately decided with a shake of her head. “We need more babies.”

“What about Conner and Claire?” Dick asked her.

“Are you having more babies?” Kaia questioned him.

Dick and Donna glanced at each other, responding with a resounding, “no way”.

“We have our hands full as it is with these two,” Donna explained. “I think we’ll wait before we even think about having more.”

Kaia didn’t appear satisfied with her answer, turning to her other brother. “What about you, Tim?”

Shock washed over Tim’s face as he visibly paled with the question. “Uh, no, Kai,” he told her as he leaped to his feet. “I think we better get downstairs. Bruce seemed pretty worried about something important. We should see what’s going on.”

“Nice escape,” Damian told him, grabbing another taco before following him out of the kitchen.

“Why can’t we have more babies?” Kaia demanded to know, her frown deepening. “We have many rooms we could fill up with babies.”

Diana chuckled as she kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Always thinking and so full of questions, my little sun and stars,” she uttered with a sigh. “Eat your lunch so you can go play.”

“Yeah, Kai,” Nicholas agreed. “I want to go swimming.”

“I swear you two live in that swimming pool,” Diana decided.

Dick approached Diana, handing over his daughter and her bottle. “I better go too, or I’ll never hear the end of it,” he told her. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Could be,” she softly said. “You know Bruce. He just wants to be prepared.”

Dick shook his head as he walked out of the kitchen, muttering under his breath as he wondered what could be going on now. Wasn’t it bad enough that Alfred was gone and there was a possible monster hunting their family down to take them all out?

Entering through the door hidden behind the grandfather clock, he jogged down the steps into the cave to find Tim and Damian on the platform with Bruce. “It’s about time,” Damian yelled over the railing at him.

“I’m coming,” Dick replied. “I had to hand my daughter off to Diana. What’s up?”

“At the Founders meeting this morning, Green Lantern informed us that there is a possible threat coming our way,” Bruce revealed. “The Green Lantern Corps is investigating at the moment. John will keep us posted if there any more developments we need to be aware of.”

“What’s the threat?” Tim asked.

“It’s a being called Legionnaire,” he informed them. “It has wiped out whole worlds.”

All three groaned in unison. “How in the world can anyone stop it?” Dick uttered, trying to process the latest news.

“I have no idea,” Bruce admitted, tilting his chair back. “We need to be ready for anything. Once John has more information about this Legionnaire, we need to immediately begin researching anything that could be remotely similar to this being and how we can stop it.”

“That’s going to be next to impossible,” Damian groused with a scowl. “How does anyone stop a being that can wipe out a whole world?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Bruce replied, rubbing his forehead, “but we need to find a way, or we’re all doomed.”

**_London, England; August 5th, 21:31 EST_ **

He moved with the shadows that he covertly passed through, blending in with his surroundings better than most could ever begin to hope to achieve. He glanced back over his shoulder, ensuring that he wasn’t being followed. They would have to be far better than he was to have followed him without him being aware of it.

Still, one could never be too certain…or careful.

He paused at the corner of the street, looking first to his left and then to his right before proceeding to his destination. Approaching the door, he knocked, three quick raps followed by a lengthy pause before repeating the action once more.

He stood in the darkness for several moments before the door finally cracked open. “It’s about time,” the feminine voice greeted him with an air of barely concealed annoyance.

The corner of his lips quirked slightly at the recognizable voice that greeted him. “Nice to see you too,” he replied. “I hear the Queen is vacationing in Aberdeenshire this time of year.”

“Only if the weather cooperates,” the female responded.

“It is one of her favorite spots,” he told her. “You know the fishing is quite good there.”

“If you’re ever in the area, you should visit the Aberdeen Maritime Museum,” she recited.

“I will remember that,” he said as she opened the door to admit the man.

She quickly closed the door closed behind him, sliding all three bolt locks into position before turning to face him. “Alfred Pennyworth…you old dog,” she said with a grin as her hands came to rest on her hips. “Took you long enough to get your arse over here.”

“I’ve technically arrived yesterday,” he admitted. “I wanted to take my time getting here to make sure I wasn’t followed.”

“You always were the best at escaping detection,” Emmeline praised him.

“It’s good to see you, Em,” he told her with a quality of affection in his voice. “It’s been far too long.”

“And who’s bloody fault might that be?” she demanded to know, poking him squarely in the chest.

Alfred held both hands up in front of him in defense. “Mine…entirely mine,” he conceded. “Life has been busy in the States.”

“I can tell it’s been good,” she replied. “You look impressive for an old man.”

Alfred’s blue eyes held a gleam in them as he thought of the family that he had left behind to protect. “Life has been very good indeed,” he confirmed as he reached into his coat pocket. “I have a large family there that I adore. I couldn’t be happier.”

Emmeline’s keen eye noticed his hand. “You didn’t,” she uttered, her smile spreading from ear to ear in anxious anticipation.

“I did,” he admitted, pulling out a small package for her.

She snatched the package out of his hand with a squeal of glee. “Jaffa Cakes!” she exclaimed. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget?” he said. “I lost track of how many times I had to bribe you with Jaffa Cakes.”

“You know I would have done it for you anyway,” she reminded him.

His smile faltered as thoughts of her invaded his mind. “How is she?” he solemnly asked.

Emmeline’s smile faded as well, worry filling her gray eyes. “She’s struggling, but she’ll be much better now that you’re finally here. You always were her source of strength.”

Her response lightened Alfred’s heart more than he had thought possible. “She never needed me to be strong,” he corrected her. “Are the others here?”

“All but Peter and Griffin,” she revealed. “They should be here shortly. The others are down in the conference room.”

Alfred gently grasped her shoulders before leaning in and kissing her cheek. “My apologies that it took something like this to see you again,” he softly said.

“You’re forgiven…this time,” she assured him. “Now, scoot. They’re waiting for you.”

Alfred made his way to the back of the antique store to a dilapidated looking door that was anything but. He touched a hidden panel to the right of the door, revealing a high-tech authorization scanner. He placed the palm of his hand against the screen before pressing his right eye to a retinal scanner.

“Pennyworth…Alfred,” a digital female voice identified him. “Enter Agent Pennyworth.”

The door slid open, allowing him access into a dark room. It took several seconds for his eyes to adjust to the complete blackness that had swallowed him whole like an abyss. He stood there for a long moment as a full-body scanner worked its way completely around him.

A light suddenly turned on, illuminating the small room that he was in. Another door ahead of him slid open, revealing a long, dimly lit tunnel that sloped down into the inner workings of his team. This had been their base since their special team had first been formed.

Walking down the ramp, memories came flooding back to him, inundating him in a deluge of emotions and flashbacks that he hadn’t thought about in more years than he could count. All of his focus had been on Master Bruce since arriving in Gotham, making sure his surrogate son lived to see another day.

Although he didn’t have any second thoughts about his decision to leave London for Gotham, there was one, overriding regret that has lingered in the back of his mind all of these years. It was one that had roared back to the surface since he’d learned of Callum’s escape.

Entering the underground compound, Alfred felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of the room as his gaze fell on her. Her emerald eyes rose to meet his unabashed stare, her entire countenance freezing as a small gasp escaped. They gazed at one another for a long moment, causing everyone else in the room to see who had caused such a reaction in their formidable leader.

“Alfred!” Charlie yelled as he got to his feet. “It’s about time you dragged your tired arse in here.”

Alfred couldn’t help but smirk as he forced himself to tear his gaze away from her. “Charlie,” he greeted him with a nod. “I can see you’re no worse for wear. Must be all that Guinness you drink.”

“Hey, a little Guinness a day keeps me away from Harley Street,” Charlie quipped.

“You always hated doctors,” Alfred pointed out.

Laurel Newberry got up from her chair, throwing her arms around Alfred in a heartfelt embrace. “It’s been far too long, old friend,” she softly said.

Alfred returned Laurel’s warm embrace; his gaze focused on her once more as he spoke, hoping she understood. “I know, but it was, unfortunately, necessary for all of us to go our separate ways.”

Laurel released him before returning to her seat. “Then, you wouldn’t know that I actually married this handsome fellow,” she told him, her arm sliding across the shoulders of her husband.

“She finally wore me down,” Malcolm Macalister responded in his thick Irish brogue, a smirk on his lips and amusement dancing in his bright blue eyes. “All that blabbering about marriage and having a wean.”

Laurel swatted his shoulder with the back of his hand. “Don’t listen to him, Alfred,” Laurel insisted. “It was he who wore me down. He was the one who wanted a house full of children.”

“Mal, you were always chasing skirts the whole time we worked together,” Alfred replied with a chuckle. “I can’t believe you decided to settle down and have a family.”

“He proposed not long after the team was disbanded,” Laurel informed him. “Of course, knowing his reputation, I turned him down as any respectable lady should, but he wouldn’t leave me alone. I finally had to say yes just to have some peace.”

“And it was the best day of your life,” Malcolm added, kissing her soundly. “Moved to Ireland and raised a whole brood of children.”

Alfred smiled, his heart aching with both happiness for his friends and what he’d left behind. It all seemed like another lifetime ago. He glanced at her, knowing that he couldn’t ignore her any longer. “Katrine,” he softly said, finding it difficult to find his voice. “It’s wonderful seeing you again. You look stunning as always.”

Katrine smiled shyly at him, her hand unconsciously going to her graying, auburn hair. “It’s good to see you too, Alfred,” she replied. “It’s been far too long.”

“I wish the circumstances were far better,” Alfred uttered with a sigh. “How long before the others arrive?”

“Are we too late to join this rip-roaring party?” the Frenchman Peter LaFollette announced as he entered the room with Griffin Powell on his heels.

“Peter…Griff,” Alfred greeted them both with embraces. “It’s good to see you both safe and sound.”

“For now,” Griff grimly responded, clearly still possessing his usual pessimism. “It won’t be long before Callum ticks us all off one by one but not before taking out our families first.”

Alfred’s stomach churned with the reminder, reminding himself that his family was in good hands. It never hurt to have an Amazon princess and the infamous Batman in the manor. Callum didn’t stand a chance, poor mug…not that he truly felt sorry for the man. He was a monster who deserved everything he got if Bruce and Diana got their hands on him.

“Has anyone notified Nolan’s wife Naomi?” Alfred inquired, hating to bring up one of the very worst days of their time together as a team.

Everyone grew solemn with haunting memories that had been resurrected with the mention of Nolan’s name. Laurel wiped at her eyes as Malcolm rubbed her back. They’d all taken it personally when Callum Fleming murdered Nolan Cummings. It had been a crushing blow to the team to lose him.

“I’ve been in contact with Naomi,” Katrine volunteered. “I’m afraid she took the news as expected. I’ve spoken with Ian. He’s assigned a rotation of agents to keep an eye on her home until Callum can be captured.”

“He’s already caused Naomi enough pain,” Laurel bitterly spat out. “He better not even consider going after her or her sons.”

Charlie reached over to pat Laurel’s hand. “He won’t,” he assured her. “He’s too consumed with getting revenge on all of us.”

“I agree, mon ami,” Peter said with an assertive nod as he lit up his usual Gauloises cigarette. “We are who he really wants to torment now.”

“Are you still smoking those filthy things?” Malcolm said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “It’s a wonder those damn things haven’t killed you yet.”

Peter merely grinned as he tilted his head back to blow a smoke ring into the air above him. “Who says they aren’t killing me?”

“Peter,” Alfred uttered with a small gasp. “Are you saying…”

“They gave me a year…more if I give up my Gauloises,” he said with a sad smile. “Eh, I’ve had quite the life so here I am to take down the great Son of Ripper one more time before I ride off in the sunset as the Yanks say…isn’t that right, Alfred?”

Alfred gave him a crooked smile. “Americans do have a saying like that, Peter.”

“Look, Callum knows his time is running out,” Griffin piped up. “He’s going to want to take out as many of us and our families as possible before we can recapture him. I say we bloody hit him hard and fast before he can get his hands on the people we love.”

“Do we have any idea where he could be hiding?” Alfred asked.

“No, not as of yet,” Katrine revealed. “His daughter Verity is off the grid as well.”

“We shouldn’t presume they’re in hiding together,” Malcolm ultimately decided as he thoughtfully stroked his graying ginger beard. “It would be too dangerous to stay together. Knowing Callum, he went one direction and sent his daughter in another.”

“We need to assume that Callum has recruited his daughter to help in his plans to seek revenge, though,” Katrine said. “It would be foolish on our part to completely discount her.”

“If she’s willing to take the risk of helping to break him out of a maximum-security prison, then we need to assume that there’s no length that she wouldn’t go to help him accomplish his goals,” Alfred added.

“Where do we start then?” Charlie asked, looking around the table at his colleagues.

“I think we need to start at the prison to see for ourselves how Callum escaped,” Laurel suggested.

“Do we know for certain who was on the inside that was compromised?” Malcolm inquired.

“There were two men,” Katrine revealed, pulling up a picture of both men onto the large computer screen on the wall. “Verity killed both of them before they could be interrogated.”

“Well, that leaves us at a dead-end,” Griffin commented.

“I still believe that going to the prison could provide some clues that could prove significant,” Alfred added.

“Callum loves to leave clues behind,” Laurel agreed.

“Nothing of significance was found in his cell, but I agree that putting our eyes on the room could be beneficial,” Katrine stated.

“While a couple of us are doing that, we can begin to scour the country for Callum,” Malcolm decided.

“Any volunteers to go to the prison?” Peter asked, puffing on his cigarette.

Katrine and Alfred’s eyes met, a myriad of emotions passing between them. So many things needed to be said…so much left unspoken when Alfred had left for Gotham. Now, they finally had the chance to find the resolution that they’d never had.

“That’s what I thought,” Peter muttered under his breath with a cocky grin, tilting his chair back as he looked from Katrine to Alfred and back again. “It’s good to know some things never change, eh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, what do you think of Alfred's team? I personally think they're a pretty cool bunch. Not sure I'd mess with them! :)
> 
> UP NEXT: Barbara gets involved in the hunt for the mysterious visitor to Gotham, Diana comforts Bruce in the shower, and Alfred's team starts their search for Callum.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**_Gotham; August 6th, 01:44 EST_ **

Frowning, Barbara pushed her glasses up her nose as she pulled up another set of cameras in downtown Gotham. “Come on…” she murmured to herself. “I know you’re creeping around here somewhere.”

She reached for her cup of coffee, her eyes never leaving her computer screen as she took a drink. She pulled up various camera angles in hopes of catching a glimpse of their unknown vigilante who had suddenly arrived in Gotham a week or so ago.

This person was proving to be difficult to find let alone get a glimpse of. If she could just capture a shot of their mysterious visitor, she could figure out height and weight, helping her to identify if they were dealing with a man or a woman. 

Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to find this person since Bruce had caught wind of his or her arrival. She should have known that Bruce would find out about this unknown variable before any of the rest of them did. How that man was ablet to do that was beyond her even after all these years.

It was both intriguing and eternally infuriating, but she had to hand it to him. He was the best and he’d imparted his knowledge and skill to her. “But there’s something that I’m better at, Dark Knight,” she said as she brought up a wide array of camera views further down the street.

She had been doing this for the last five days without success, but she wasn’t about to give up. If there was someone that needed to be found, she would find them. “You can run, but you can’t hide from me forever,” she muttered.

“Hey, O,” Red Hood’s voice filled the room. “We’ve got a pick-up on the corner of Lincoln and Stanton.”

“Sending a squad,” she replied.

“Any luck finding our Houdini?” Hood asked.

“Not yet, but I think I’m getting closer,” she informed him. “I’ll keep you posted.”

“Will do. Red Hood out.”

Barbara sent the coordinates of Red Hood and Artemis’s capture to the GCPD before returning to her search. She didn’t know for certain which side their fugitive was actually on, but she was anxious and determined to find out. They had enough nut jobs in Gotham as it was without adding another one.

“How’s it going?”

“Slowly…very, very slowly,” Barbara groused as she sat back in her chair with a frustrated huff.

“What are you working on?” Huntress asked as she sat down in a chair next to Barbara.

“I’m beginning to think I’m searching for a ghost,” she told her.

“Is this the unknown person that showed up in Gotham a few days ago?”

“That’s the one,” Barbara confirmed, folding her arms against her chest as she stared at her computer screens.

“I bet Bats is in a jovial mood about an unknown variable showing up in town.”

“You have no idea,” she mumbled, not wanting to tell her about Alfred’s situation. “It’s really weird. It’s almost like it could be a Meta, but yet I can’t find anything that would indicate that. In fact, I can’t find anything at all. I’m telling you I’m beginning to think it’s a ghost.”

“If anyone can find a ghost, it’s Oracle,” Huntress reassured her as she glanced around the Clocktower. “Hey, do you have any coffee? I’m in major need of a caffeine boost.”

“Just made a fresh pot,” she told her. “Help yourself.”

“I need a strong jolt before I meet up with Canary,” Huntress called over her shoulder. “We’re following up on the break-in at the power plant.”

“Keep me posted,” she said. “If you need backup, I can get Hawk and Dove for you.”

Huntress giggled as she looked at Barbara over the lip of her coffee cup. “Are you serious?” she said. “Dinah and I can handle anything. Besides, Dinah’s been itching for a good fight since coming back from maternity leave.”

“I’m surprised she’d want to leave Charlotte already,” Barbara replied.

“She doesn’t, but she feels it’s good for Ollie to have Liam and Charlie all by himself,” Helena divulged. “She thinks since she’s with them most of the day that he should have the same privilege.”

“So, when are you and Question…”

Huntress abruptly held up a hand, effectively stopping any further talk. “Don’t even go there,” she adamantly stated. “I have my hands full with Question. Besides, you know how paranoid he is. Can you imagine if we had children? He’d be a hot mess—following them everywhere they went, stalking the nanny, investigating the backgrounds of every teacher they had, going through the trash of their friends’ families.”

Barbara laughed as Helena visibly shuttered. “You’re a good woman, Helena,” she told her. “Not everyone can handle a man like that.”

“Yeah, and I’m not even Wonder Woman,” Huntress replied with a snort of amusement. “Don’t know how Diana handles Bruce plus the kids. You’d have to be an Amazon to handle that life.”

“Diana is amazing,” Barbara agreed, picking up her coffee cup and allowing Helena to refill it.

“Where are you?” Black Canary’s voice filled Helena’s ear. “I want to kick some ass.”

“I’m coming…I’m coming,” Huntress replied, setting her coffee cup down. “Don’t get your nursing bra in a bundle.”

“Funny,” Dinah bit out. “I may just kick your ass for that comment.”

“Like you could.”

“Oh, that’s it,” Canary snapped. “You’re going home to Question with a black eye tonight.”

Barbara put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as Huntress made a mocking face as Dinah continued to rant in her ear. “I’ll be there in ten,” Huntress promised. “Just don’t start without me.”

Barbara waved as Huntress dove out a nearby window. It was never boring around the Clocktower. She straightened her shoulders as she rolled her head to loosen the knots in her neck. Time to get to work to find this mysterious ghost of theirs.

Pulling up another set of camera angles further down the street, she carefully began scrutinizing the various feeds that were coming in. This part of Gotham was close to where Red Hood and Artemis had their run-in with their ghost when they were pursuing Black Spider.

She knew it was a long shot that this person would return to the same area, but she was hoping it was close to where their phantom was living. With a frown, she pulled up coordinates on the other computer to see who was closest to respond to an armed robbery. 

“Robin,” she said. “There’s a robbery in progress at Smitty’s Convenience Store on Tenth Street.”

“On my way,” Damian responded.

Barbara turned her attention back to her search. It was becoming somewhat of an obsession to her at this point. She didn’t like to be beaten and right now, she felt just that with how this person was eluding her. “You have no idea who you’re up against, sweetheart,” Barbara murmured.

Scanning the next street, Barbara gasped softly, zeroing in on a dark figure only for a stray dog to suddenly wander out of the shadows. She cursed under her breath when something else caught her eye that made her sit up straighter in her seat. 

The stray dog wasn’t alone.

Someone dressed in black moved very quickly, darting back into the shadows as quickly as they came out of them. She swore if she had blinked, she would have missed it. She took her glasses off to rub her eyes, wondering if she had imagined what she had seen.

She quickly rewound the video to find that she hadn’t imagined it. She had finally caught a glimpse of their phantom. “Red Robin,” she hailed, growing more excited by the second.

“What have you got, O?” he responded.

“Our ghost is near the corner of West and Reynolds,” Oracle told him.

“I’m close,” he confirmed. “I’m headed there. I’ll let you know what I find.”

“Thanks, Red Bird,” she replied, cutting the communication.

Barbara sat back in her chair with a satisfied smirk as she crossed her arms against her chest. “Kudos to me,” she proudly said, hoping Tim was able to find out who their mysterious stranger was and which side of the law they were on.

**_Batcave; August 6th, 02:36 EST_ **

Bruce ripped off his cowl and gauntlets as he headed towards the showers. Patrol had been on the quiet side, allowing him an earlier return home than he usually experienced. It was for the best. He was having great difficulty focusing on patrol when he couldn’t stop worrying about Alfred.

His faithful friend and father-figure’s departure had sent him into somewhat of an emotional tailspin. It was completely unexpected, blindsiding him with both Alfred’s absence as well as the emotional backlash that it had caused him.

He’d tried hard during his life not to take him for granted, knowing that he would’ve been dead a hundred times over if it weren’t for Alfred’s vast array of skills and medical expertise. Alfred had always taken care of him, but now it felt as if their roles had been reversed.

It left him feeling a little lost. Alfred had always been here and now he wasn’t. Life felt incomplete without Alfred’s constant presence. He knew, of course, that one day Alfred would pass away, but it was something that he had chosen not to dwell on. It had been too painful to consider.

That was why they needed to leave for England tomorrow. He needed to be there to help stop this madness before they lost Alfred for good. He couldn’t stand the thought of what losing Alfred would do to his children. His sons were attached to the elderly butler, but not like Nicholas and Kaia were.

Stripping off his uniform, Bruce got into the shower, dipping his head under the hot water. He pressed the palms of his hands against the shower wall as his chin fell to his chest. He had no idea where in London Alfred was or if he had been able to reunite with his former teammates.

He knew that Alfred couldn’t risk contacting them, but he wished that he would at least send them some sort of communication, so they knew that he was all right. This monster he and his team were going up against was one of the worst that Bruce had ever studied, easily rivaling the Joker.

The thought of Alfred going up against someone similar to Joker almost made him physically ill. Alfred and his team weren’t the young twenty-somethings that they used to be when they’d gone up against the Son of Ripper the first time. They were all in their sixties now. Their reaction time was slower, their skills not as sharp as they had once been.

He drew a shuddering breath as a familiar body pressed against the length of his back. Arms slipped around his waist as her cheek came to rest against his shoulder blade. His shudder morphed into a sigh as she held him, reassuring him as she lent him her strength and faith when he so desperately needed it the most.

His hand slipped from the wall to cover her hand resting on his abdomen. She didn’t say a single word as she began to kiss the back of his neck, making her way along his shoulder blade to his shoulder. His eyes fluttered closed as her free hand slowly slipped down his abdomen to take hold of him.

He gasped as his head fell back, her touch slow and gentle like the brush of her lips against his skin. She always seemed to know when he needed her like two souls bound to one another, silently communicating in their deepest moments of need.

And he did need her—always.

He nearly choked when she squeezed him, his body trembling with the pleasure that was building inside of him. His heart began to hammer as blood pounded in his ears. Just when he thought he was going to lose his mind, she backed off, releasing her hold on him.

A growled curse filled the shower as he spun on his heel, his mouth crashing into hers with a fierce vengeance for leaving him wanting and in dire need of a release like that. She returned his passionate kiss with an intensity that equaled his own as her fingers slipped into his wet hair, gripping it tightly as he wrapped her legs around his waist.

She moaned as he filled her, her back hitting the wall of the shower as he began pumping into her. He needed this connection with her, to feel the depths of her love and the powerful release that he always craved to find within her. He’d never felt anything like this with any other woman before her.

“Yes…yes,” she chanted as he took her, her hand on the back of his head as her other hand splayed over his back. “Bruce…”

The raspy, throaty quality of her voice in the midst of passionate sex always turned him on even more. There was just something about the way she said his name like a chanting, pleading prayer that only managed to heat his blood even more.

He buried his face in the hollow of her neck, completely losing himself in the incredible sensation of being completely immersed inside of his wife. A strangled grunt followed by a drawn-out groan filled the shower as he released himself deep within her.

They stayed like that for several moments, holding one another and savoring the sweet euphoria that encompassed them. Bruce finally lifted his head, finding her lips in a rough kiss. He brushed his nose against hers, kissing her once more.

“How did you know I needed you?” he murmured, his lips grazing hers.

“Just a feeling,” she coyly replied, her hand caressing the back of his neck.

“I can’t think about losing him,” he found himself confessing as his forehead rested against hers. “I need to go to England tomorrow. I can’t wait another day.”

“We’ll go tomorrow, and we’ll find him,” she told him. “We’ll be there to help him if he needs us.”

“I don’t know what I’d ever do without you,” he said with a sincerity that touched her heart.

Her hand cupped his cheek, her smile gentle. “You won’t have to find out.”

He sighed as he released her legs from around his waist before taking her by the hand to pull her under the water with him. Taking the body soap and washrag, Diana began to clean away the sweat and grime of patrol from her husband.

He gazed down as she washed his chest, taking her time taking care of him. His arms slid around her waist as she moved on to his abdomen. “Alfred is all that I have left of my parents,” he softly said. “Alfred and Leslie were so close to my mom and dad. Losing either of them is like losing my parents all over again.”

“I know,” she gently replied, her lips grazing over his nipple. “But you have more of your parents than you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“Damian, Nicholas, and Kaia all carry a part of your parents in them,” she reminded him. “Have you ever noticed how Nicholas smiles just like your mother?”

Bruce’s lips curled with affection. “I have noticed,” he confirmed. “Sometimes he gets this look and then he smiles this smile that lights up his whole face. It’s like I’m seeing my mother.”

“And Kaia has this mischievous little glint in her eyes just like your father,” Diana continued, working her way down his legs.

Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle softly with the reminder. “You can tell she’s always thinking…always up to something,” he agreed. “Just like my dad. He was the same way.”

“I don’t know why but I have a feeling the way Damian laughs is similar to your father’s too.”

Bruce pulled her up to look into her eyes. “How did you know that?” he asked, astonished.

“Because you get this look on your face the rare times that Damian actually laughs,” she replied. “I figured that it must remind you of one of your parents.”

Bruce thought about it for a long moment, his heart feeling a little lighter. “You’re right,” he conceded, shaking his head in disbelief. “I don’t know how you do it, but you always find a way to make me feel better.”

His mouth descended on hers, a long sensual kiss that conveyed his feelings for her. “I think we should continue this upstairs,” she breathlessly suggested. “Our sons will be returning home soon.”

“The last time we were caught in the shower together didn’t go over so well,” he agreed as he turned the water off.

“It’s not like he saw anything,” Diana said as she reached for a large bath towel and began drying him off. “Damian handled it better than I thought, though.”

“He yelled at us to keep it in the bedroom, not the Batcave,” he replied with a chuckle as he returned the favor.

“Where’s the fun in that?” she questioned him. “I personally like the notion of having you anywhere I want.”

Bruce growled in response as she sauntered out of the shower, glancing longingly at him over her shoulder. “Coming?” she flirted.

Bruce clenched his towel tightly in his hands, his mouth a desert. Wild horses couldn’t keep him away from her.

**_England; August 6th, 05:15 EST_ **

Alfred drove the van up to the back door of the special security prison where Callum had been held for the last forty-plus years. He’d made several attempts to escape over the years, but it wasn’t until his daughter Verity had come to his aide that he had been able to successfully escape his prison.

Alfred cast a sidelong glance at his beautiful companion sitting in the passenger seat. It felt as if the last forty years had abruptly disappeared, taking him right back to the point in time when they had been on the hunt for the Son of Ripper.

But time had passed. 

Choices had been made and hearts had been broken including his own, but what had been done was done. There was no going back or questioning those decisions. As much as he had loved Katrine, he didn’t regret the last forty-two years spent in Gotham with the Wayne family.

They had spoken little since dressing as laundry delivery crew, attire that included white jumpsuits and hats. They didn’t want to tip anyone off to the fact that the team had reassembled for this mission nor did they want Callum to discover their location and follow them back to their base.

Alfred put the delivery van in park, looking to Katrine. “I think it best we start with his cell,” he decided.

Katrine nodded in agreement. “I’ve already been in contact with Warden Edmund Veasey,” she informed him. “He has cleared that section of the prison so that we can inspect Callum’s cell.”

Alfred shook his head as he unfastened his seatbelt. “I can’t believe Wallace wouldn’t let us put him in protective custody,” he groused. “As the previous warden of the prison, he’ll be high on Callum’s list to seek revenge on.”

“I sent Laurel and Mal to his home to try to talk some sense into him,” Katrine informed him as she exited the van.

They both made their way to the back, opening the double doors to pull out a large cart filled with clean linens. “Good thinking,” Alfred agreed. “Wallace was always stubborn, refusing to back down no matter the threat. I’m not sure whether it’s courage or foolishness.”

“A combination of both,” she replied as they pushed the cart up the ramp to the secured door.

She pushed the button, alerting the guards to the fact that there was a delivery. They waited several seconds before a guard peeked out the small window at them. He tentatively opened the door with gun in hand, taking no chances since Callum Fleming had escaped. It was a black eye for the prison, taken personally by every security guard who worked there.

“I need to inspect your laundry cart,” the guard stated as he eyed them suspiciously.

“Please, be our guest,” Katrine replied with a smile, stepping back to allow him to do his job and set him at ease.

They patiently watched as the guard searched their cart before finally allowing them entrance. “Thank you,” Alfred said as they passed by him. “We appreciate your thoroughness and attention to your job.”

“Well after that monster escaped, we can’t be too careful,” the guard responded.

“Did you know the guards who died?” Alfred nonchalantly asked as the guard followed them to the laundry supply room.

“Yeah,” he said with a sad nod of his head. “Brady and Will were good family men. I can’t believe that they would help that maniac escape. It’s not like them to do something like that. They took their jobs very seriously.”

Alfred shared a look with Katrine, both thinking the same thing—blackmail. “It’s terrible,” Katrine murmured. “Just a tragic situation.”

“Have they been able to find Fleming yet?” Alfred inquired.

“As far as I know, no one has seen him,” he told them. “Disappeared out of thin air…just like a ghost.”

The guard got a call at that moment that conveniently drew him away from the area. “Be sure you don’t wander away from this area,” the guard instructed them. “Make your delivery and leave.”

“We will,” Katrine replied. “Thank you for the escort.”

The guard nodded before turning on his heel and leaving them to attend to his duties. Alfred put a hand on Katrine’s shoulder. “Let’s go,” he whispered. “We need to be quick about this.”

Katrine pulled the bill of her hat down, further concealing her face. They made their way towards the section of the prison where Callum had been kept, finding it devoid of guards. Callum had been the only prisoner in this wing, keeping him from interacting with other prisoners.

They stood before his cell, inspecting the opening but finding no signs of tampering. Entering, Alfred immediately made his way to Callum’s bed while Katrine checked out the small desk in the corner. There were three books lined up neatly against the wall. 

She began thumbing through each of them, certain she wouldn’t find anything of importance. Callum wouldn’t leave anything out in the open that could lead them to him. He was exceptionally good at concealing his plans until the last possible moment.

Alfred lifted the mattress to look underneath it for any clues, finding nothing. He checked the bedding and pillow as well, coming up empty. Turning, he sat down on the bed, looking about the small room. There was something here for them to find. He knew it with every fiber of his being. He just had to think like Callum Fleming to discover its hiding place.

Katrine replaced the last book on the desk, her hands finding her hips as she chewed on her bottom lip. She too shared Alfred’s intuition that Callum had hidden something here for them to find, some sort of clue as to what he was going to do. He wasn’t going to make it easy for them. 

She opened each draw to find them all empty. He hadn’t been allowed any writing utensils, knowing they could be turned into weapons. He was a master at creating something out of nothing. In the hands of Callum, anything could eventually become a weapon.

She took the middle drawer out, reaching inside and running her hand along the bottom of the desk. She gasped sharply as she immediately pulled her hand back to find a cut on the tip of her finger. Blood trickled down her finger as Alfred came to stand by her.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Callum,” she bit out as Alfred pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wrap around her bleeding finger.

Alfred knelt down, peering inside the desk where the drawer would typically be. Carefully reaching inside, he pulled out the sharpened tip of a knife. “Bloody bastard,” he cursed.

“There has to be something more here,” she stated. “He wouldn’t just leave us the broken tip of a knife.”

“Agreed,” Alfred murmured as he picked up the drawer, inspecting it. Turning it around, he found his own name scratched into the wood of the back of the drawer. “Blast it!”

“What is it?” Katrine questioned him.

He turned the drawer around to show her, Katrine’s eyes widening at the sight of Alfred’s name deeply etched into the wood. She lightly ran her fingers over the lettering. She knew this was not good. Callum held a deep-seated hatred for all of them, but he held a special hatred for Alfred. She felt tears pricking her eyes at the cross scratched into the wood next to Alfred’s name.

“Alfred,” she whispered his name. “You need to leave immediately…go far away from here where Callum can’t find you.”

Alfred adamantly shook his head as he placed the drawer back into the desk. “No, I need to find him and stop him,” he stated. “I can’t let him hurt anyone that I care about.”

Katrine’s hand came to rest on his forearm. She squeezed it affectionately as she gazed into his eyes. “I know how fiercely you care about your family, but you’re no good to them if you’re dead. You’re no good to anyone.”

Alfred looked away from the eyes that seemed to see deep into his very soul. “I have to do this, Katrine.”

“Damn stubborn arse,” she cursed as she turned away from him, clutching his handkerchief tightly in her hand. “You always were so damn noble.”

“I can’t let this go,” he reminded her. “I have to take him down…and you know it’s not just because of my family in Gotham.”

Katrine’s chin fell as her eyes closed, fighting back tears she turned to face him. “I know,” she relented. “That’s why you won’t do this alone.”

“You know I’d prefer to do it alone, but we both know you won’t let me.”

A small smile formed on her red lips. “You’re not the only stubborn arse around here.”

Alfred couldn’t help but grin in response. “I’ve bloody missed you, Kat.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she replied, her hand caressing his cheek.

“Let’s get out of here,” he suggested as he turned, picking up the three books on the desk. “We’ve got work to do.”

“What are you doing with the books?” she asked.

“He didn’t have these three books here just to pass the time,” he told her. “They were here for a reason.”

**_England; August 6th, 06:34 EST_ **

Laurel and Malcolm pulled up in the circle drive of Robinson Manor, hoping to talk some sense into the former warden of the prison. He was a cantankerous old man of ninety-four years, ancient and set in his ways. He was far too obstinate to deal with even on a good day. He should have been sent to a retirement home years ago, but no one had been able to get the man to leave his home especially since he was still of sound mind.

“Ya know this isn’t going to go well,” Malcolm told his wife.

“Yes, but we have to try, Mal,” Laurel replied, exiting the car.

Malcolm checked the clip in his gun before getting out of the car to follow his wife up the manor steps to the front door. She rang the doorbell, glancing in a narrow side window. They waited for several moments without any response.

She rang the doorbell again, her frown deepening. “I don’t like this,” she murmured, moving to stand before the narrow window. She placed her hands on either side of her head as she looked inside.

Malcolm took a step back to look at the front of the manor, finding nothing out of order. “Let’s check out the back just to be sure.”

They made their way around to the back of the large estate, winding through expertly manicured shrubs. Laurel paused by a window, peering inside to see if she could spot anything unusual or out of place. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see anything that indicated that something was wrong or amiss.

Malcolm drew his gun, cocking it as he approached the back patio door. Something was very wrong here. He looked at his wife, holding his finger to his lips. She quickly pulled her weapon, punching in a code on her cell phone for backup before tossing her purse on a nearby patio chair.

She glanced over her shoulder before coming to stand behind her husband. Using one finger, he silently pushed the sliding patio door open before peering inside the kitchen. He cautiously entered, Laurel following right behind him. He immediately turned to the left with gun ready as she turned to the right, keeping their backs to each other.

Malcolm moved around the island in the kitchen, finding a man lying face down in a pool of blood. He gently kicked his foot, assured that the man was beyond saving. There was far too much blood for the man to still be alive.

Malcolm looked to his wife, nodding his head as he pointed down with his gun that he found a body. She shook her head in frustration, knowing they were too late. With any luck, Callum Fleming would still be in the manor, ending this here and now.

She ventured on towards a living room. It was the same room that she had peered into just moments ago, finding nothing. Clearing the room of any activity, she moved on, discovering an empty bathroom. Backing out, she turned to find blood coming out from under a closet door.

Holding her breath, she opened it, a woman’s body falling out at Laurel’s feet. It appeared to be a personal nurse to Warden Robinson. She’d been stabbed multiple times before being stuffed into the closet. She hadn’t stood a chance against the likes of Callum Fleming.

Turning left, she gasped softly as she pointed her gun directly at her husband. She immediately pulled her gun back, releasing a ragged breath. He indicated with his head that she needed to follow him. She felt her stomach lurch, knowing that whatever he’d discovered wasn’t going to be anything good.

She followed him to the warden’s library, entering to find the elderly man lying on his back on the floor with a large dagger sticking out of his chest. Written on the wall in the warden’s blood were the words “who will be next?”. Underneath, it was signed “SOR”.

“Damn it,” Laurel swore as she stared at the retired warden.

Malcolm put a hand on her shoulder before moving to rub her back. “It’s not our fault, lass,” he reminded her as he kissed her temple. “He refused protection. If it was his time, he was ready to go.”

“It still doesn’t make it any easier,” she replied, hearing the sounds of backup arriving.

“Where are you?”

“In here, Griff!” Malcolm yelled.

“Bloody hell,” Griffin said as he ran into the library with his gun drawn. “Well, this makes it all the more a reality now doesn’t it.”

“So, who’s going to be next?” Charlie asked, staring at the bloody wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whoa!! Who will be next??
> 
> UP NEXT: Bruce and Diana arrive in London, Artemis and Jason seek advice from Donna and Dick, and Damian has a run-in with their mysterious vigilante. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**_England; August 7th, 00:06 EST_ **

Alfred’s expression darkened with frustration as he read through one of the three books that Callum Fleming had left behind in his cell. He knew that these particular books had been specifically chosen by Callum for a reason. There was a clue hidden here for them to find. He just had to discover what that clue was.

 _Beyond Good and Evil_ by Friedrich Nietzsche was an interesting choice seeing how Callum was the very epitome of evil. Was he trying to find out if there was perhaps the slightest shred of decency and humanity in his soulless body?

Sighing, he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger as thoughts of home drifted through his mind. He missed his family—missed the precious time that he got to spend each day with Nicholas and Kaia, the family’s boisterous banter around the dinner table every evening, the brothers’ constantly trying to outdo each other.

He had to admit that he was quite surprised that Master Bruce hadn’t shown up in London yet, but then again, he’d only been gone for three days.

“What are you doing up?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he confessed, flipping through the last few pages of the book before closing it and shoving it aside with an air of disdain.

Katrine set down two cups of tea before taking a seat next to him. “How iare Bruce and his family?”

Alfred can’t help the smile that formed on his face with the mention of his family. “They are doing well,” he replied, taking the cup of tea. “Thanks for the tea. How did you know that I needed one?”

Katrine smiled softly in return, raising her cup of tea to her lips to take a sip. “Just women’s intuition,” she replied. “I’m sure your family misses you as greatly as you miss them.”

Alfred sighed wearily, wishing he could speak with them, but he knew it was far too dangerous. He refused to endanger their lives for a bit of comfort to lessen his loneliness. “I miss being a part of my grandchildren’s lives,” he confessed. “It’s amazing how small children can make you truly feel younger yourself. They keep me on my toes with their spirited capers.”

“Nicholas and Kaia,” she said, a fleeting look of surprise crossing Alfred’s face. “What? You didn’t think that I’d let you get away without knowing what you’ve been up to these past forty years?”

He glanced down into his cup of tea, a sad smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I should have been better at writing,” he admitted, his tone apologetic. “My apologies for that. I’m afraid I wasn’t a good friend.”

“It was difficult for both of us, Alfred,” she assured him. “I understood the need to move on.”

He looked up sharply, sincerity reflecting in his eyes. “It didn’t make it any less difficult.”

“You ended up having an even higher calling, though,” she pointed out.

“What are you talking about?”

Katrine chuckled softly as she sat back in her chair, her hands encircling her cup. “You can try to fool the world, Alfred Pennyworth, but you have never been able to fool me,” she told him. “I know all about Bruce’s alter ego.”

Alfred gave her a curious look, never willing to divulge a secret that was not his to tell. “I haven’t the slightest notion as to what you are talking about,” he insisted with a sniff of indignation.

“You can use that line on everyone else but not on me,” she said, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone as she leaned in closer. “I know you’re the man behind the superhero.”

“Are you barmy, Katrine?” he demanded to know. “What makes you think that I have anything to do with the world of superheroes? Just because Bruce is married to Wonder Woman doesn’t mean that he is a superhero too. That would be ludicrous for Wonder Woman to marry Batman.”

Katrine smirked at her friend, impressed with his resistance to spill the beans. She leaned forward, holding her hand up to him. “First, Batman is from Gotham,” she began, holding up a second finger. “Second, he is very wealthy and can afford to financially back being a superhero. Third, there are some of his skills that reflect one of his mentors—you.”

“I beg to differ,” Alfred lamely insisted with a slight frown of reluctant acceptance. “It isn’t that obvious.”

Katrine giggled as she took a drink of her tea. “Oh, bollocks, Alfred,” she spouted. “I can see that he has adapted some of your many techniques and talents. It’s all right, though. No one would notice unless they knew you as intimately as I do.”

“How long have you known?” he ventured.

“Within the first few months of Batman’s career.”

“You always were too smart and far too observant for your own good.”

“What can I say?” she said with a pleased shrug. “I learned from the best.”

“No, you always were exceptionally perceptive and excellent at your job,” he praised her. “That’s why you were made the leader of the team.”

“Only because they felt that you were a little too willing to take whatever measures necessary to get the job done,” she pointed out. “They wanted someone who would walk a straight line and tote the British Secret Service’s views to the very letter. It was all politics.”

It was Alfred’s turn to laugh. “They always were a little uncomfortable with my methods, but they knew I was too good at my job to really fire me,” he teased. “They needed me on their side.”

Katrine rolled her eyes. “I have no idea how they thought that I would be able to keep you in line.”

“Well, you managed to do just that,” he reminded her. “Not many could.”

Her amused smile fell into a curious look, her head tilting slightly as she studied him. “You never married.”

“Neither did you.”

She looked down at her hands cradling her cup of tea that was rapidly cooling. “I never again found what I had lost,” she softly confessed.

“I guess I could say the same,” he murmured.

“Do you ever wonder what would have…” Katrine began.

“What are you two doing up?” Charlie asked as he entered the conference room, running his fingers back through his thick hair with a yawn.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Katrine said as she gazed at Alfred, feeling as though so much had still been left unsaid.

“I’ve been looking through these books that Callum had in his cell,” Alfred replied. “There’s a reason that he chose these particular books. I just haven’t been able to figure out why yet.”

“That’s our Alfred,” Charlie said with a grin as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “That brain is always churning and grinding away.”

“The sooner we find Callum the sooner we can all return to our loved ones,” Alfred pointed out.

“I’m afraid there’s not much for me to return to,” Charlie admitted as he plopped into a chair beside Katrine. “Margo left me six months ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” Katrine told him, her hand moving to cover his in a show of comfort and support.

Charlie snorted in response, a grim expression adorning his face. “It’s my bloody fault,” he bitterly confessed. “Too much time spent at the track and not enough time at home.”

Alfred frowned as he stared at his longtime friend. “Charlie, I thought you had beat the habit,” he said.

“Me too,” Charlie replied with a visible grimace. “Eh, I’m holding out hope that I can win her back when all of this is over…show her I’m a changed man. I’ve done several projects around the house that she’s been begging me to do and I’ve paid off all my debts.”

“I hope you’re able to win her over,” Katrine reassured him. “Margo is a level-headed woman. I’m sure she’ll give you a second chance if you prove to her that you’ve changed.”

Charlie nodded his head, hoping Katrine was right. “So, what’s on the agenda for the day?”

“Try to stay alive another day,” Griffin dourly answered with his typical glumness as he entered the bunker conference room.

“I’ve missed your sarcastic outlook on life, Griff,” Alfred told him with a chuckle. “It’s nice to know some things haven’t changed in the last forty years.”

“It’s the truth,” Griff insisted, going to the coffee maker. “Stay alive and hope to kill Callum before he can kill us.”

“I’m going to follow up on the autopsies that should be done by now on Warden Robinson and his staff,” Katrine replied.

“Like we don’t know how they were murdered,” Charlie uttered with a derisive snort. “Callum must have enjoyed the feel of that steel in his hands again after all of these years.”

“We have to be certain, Charlie,” Alfred reminded him. “We could have a copycat on our hands, or it could have been Verity for all we know.”

“Two Sons of Ripper,” Griffin bemoaned at the thought. “One was more than enough without having a second.”

“Wouldn’t Verity be called the Daughter of Ripper?” Peter quipped as he shuffled into the room, raking his fingers back through his long blond hair. “I mean give the girl her due…you know equal rights, pro-feminism and all that.”

The corner of Alfred’s lips quirked with the facetious retort by Peter. It was typical of the Frenchmen to interject flippant comments here and there especially at the most inopportune times. It was something that he had missed since leaving England. He wished now that he had been better about keeping in touch with his friends and teammates, but they knew that it could’ve potentially been dangerous to keep in contact.

After Callum’s trial and sentencing, the team had immediately been disbanded, each of them going their separate ways to assume a new life. Despite being in prison, they couldn’t take the chance of Callum using someone on the outside to track each of them down to exert the revenge that he had sworn on them.

“We need to find Callum before he can take any more lives,” Katrine stated with a determination that ran bone-deep.

“Who do we think is next?” Alfred asked.

“That’s the real question, mon ami,” Peter said, lighting up a Gauloises. “We need to make sure it’s not one of us.”

**_England; August 7th, 10:34 EST_ **

Bruce and Diana were escorted up a private elevator to their penthouse suite, holding hands and appearing for all the world as if they were on their second honeymoon. Bruce had made sure that their arrival in London had been kept in the strictest privacy, even going so far as to register under an alias.

The manager of the elite hotel had been quite helpful in making certain that Mister and Missus Wayne’s stay in London was the best-kept secret in the country if not the whole world. Bruce had modified his appearance enough to make identifying the man difficult.

Diana wore her hair up under a chic, wide-brimmed hat with sunglasses. He knew there was going to be no concealing his beautiful wife short of a drastic haircut and makeover. The thought of cutting her long raven locks nearly caused him to break out in a cold sweat.

“Here we are, sir,” Nigel said as the elevator doors opened to the door to the penthouse suite. “I assure you only Galia and myself are privy to your stay here. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact either of us day or night.”

“Thank you, Nigel,” Bruce replied, tipping the manager handsomely. “I appreciate your discretion. I’m sure you can understand that we’d like to avoid any and all press coverage of our stay here in London.”

“I can imagine how tiresome it must become constantly being hounded by the press,” Nigel commiserated. “I will personally guarantee your anonymity while you are here under my protection.”

“Thank you for your understanding,” Diana told him.

“I will leave you to get settled,” Nigel said as he re-entered the elevator. “Your luggage has already been delivered for you.”

Bruce nodded in response as he turned to use his key card, unlocking the door before stepping aside to allow his wife entrance. Diana kissed his cheek as she entered, removing her hat and sunglasses. Laying them on the end table, she pulled the pins from her hair, her curly mane tumbling down her back.

“You know you ever decide to cut off your hair and I’ll divorce you,” Bruce stated, leering at his wife as she shook out her raven mane.

“You’re terrible,” she replied, running her fingers through her hair. “You know if you marry an Amazon, you’re soul bound to her for eternity. You will never be rid of me.”

“I’m quite relieved by that fact,” he replied with a grin. “I can push your buttons and you’re still stuck with me.”

Diana directed a mock glare at her husband. “Think that over, Mister Wayne,” she warned him. “Do you really want to make an Amazon angry?”

“I’m not worried,” he decided. “You love me too much to kill me.”

“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am,” he replied, going to his personal travel bag and pulling out his laptop. “All right…where do you think we should start?”

“First, you’ll sweep the room to make sure there are no listening devices,” she began to tick off on her fingers. “Next, you’ll set up one of those security walls that you like to use to make sure no one can track what we’re doing in here. After that, you’ll press your Batsuit and restock your utility belt before polishing your Bat boots.”

Bruce smirked as he put his arms around her waist, pulling her firmly against his muscular frame. “You think you know me so well,” he replied, his blue eyes narrowing.

Diana’s arms slipped around his neck as an innocent expression graced her face. “I do,” she confirmed, tilting her head as her lips ghosted over his. “I also know you’re not going to rest until you’ve found Alfred and his team as well as Callum and his daughter.”

Bruce couldn’t resist stealing a knee-bending kiss before responding. “Again, you think you know me so well,” he retorted. “I’ve been thinking, and I decided that you’re right.”

“Excuse me?” she said, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Did I just hear you correctly?”

Bruce momentarily gazed long-sufferingly at the ceiling before meeting his wife’s haughty yet pleased face. “I think we should hang back on this one,” he confessed. “We should let Alfred and his team try to find Callum while we stay here and do our own searching. If they need us, we can be there to back them up.”

Diana placed a hand on her forehead, pretending to feel faint. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” she teased. “My obsessive, control freak husband is going to let Alfred handle his own case by himself without interference.”

Bruce frowned as he began to pull away only for Diana to immediately pull him back to her. “Funny,” he bit out, unamused.

Diana gently kissed the pout off his lips, his muscles relaxing under her tender ministrations. “I’m only teasing you,” she assured him. “I’m very proud of you.”

“I have to admit it’s not going to be easy to stay out of it, but we can do our own research here in our suite during the day and do some digging around London at night,” he suggested. “If we find anything, we can turn it over to Alfred to handle.”

Diana kissed him hard, taking his breath away and leaving him more than a little lightheaded. “I am proud of you,” she sincerely replied, the tip of her finger outlining his lips. “You’ve come a long way since I first met you, Bruce Wayne.”

“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” he told her. “You might have had a little something to do with it.”

“I think we’ve been a good influence on each other,” she decided.

“Is the Princess of the Amazons admitting that a lowly human male like myself has been a positive influence on her?” he teased.

“You have…but don’t push it,” she said, kissing the tip of his nose before releasing her hold on him. “I’m going to take a shower and change into something more comfortable while you do your paranoid thing around the suite to make sure it’s not bugged.”

“It’s not paranoia,” he insisted, digging through his bag as she made her way towards the bathroom. “It’s a necessity to keep our identities a secret…well, mine, I guess. Still, we don’t want anyone to hack into our internet system or listen in on our conversations.”

Looking up, Bruce found himself standing there all alone. “It’s definitely necessary,” he grumbled under his breath as he removed his suit jacket, pulling out his equipment.

**_Wayne Manor; August 7th, 16:49 EST_ **

Nicholas ran into the entertainment room in search of his tablet to find his sister cross-legged on the floor before Conner and Claire who were sitting in their bouncy seats. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Babysitting,” Kaia replied, not taking her gaze off the babies.

“You don’t have to sit there and watch them like that,” he told her.

“Aunt DD told me to watch the babies while she starts supper,” she insisted. “I want to do a good job so I can babysit more.”

“You’re too little to babysit babies,” he said with a frown. “You’re still a baby.”

“Am not!” she cried. “I’m a big girl. Dick told me so.”

“You’re not that much older than Conner and Claire,” he pointed out. “You can’t even hold them without help.”

“I’m still not a baby,” she angrily stated.

“What are you two arguing about?” Jason asked as he walked in with Artemis.

“Ni-Ni called me a baby,” she bit out. “I’m not a baby. Aunt DD let me babysit Conner and Claire.”

“You’re a big girl, Kaia,” Jason reassured her, sweeping her up into his arms. He tossed her up into the air, making her squeal.

“Ja! I’m babysitting,” she told him. “I can’t play right now.”

“Where is Donna?” Artemis asked.

“She’s making supper,” Nicholas said.

“I’ll go see if I can help her,” the Bana-Mighdall Amazon replied.

“Does she know how to cook?” Nicholas asked Jason, his nose wrinkled in concern.

“No, not really, but she tries,” Jason admitted. “Where’s Dick?”

“He’s downstairs,” Nicholas whispered, knowing the cave was a secret that was not supposed to get out.

Jason laughed as he walked out of the room. “I’ll be right back.”

Artemis wandered into the kitchen to find Donna cursing in Ancient Greek. “Problem?”

Donna straightened up, blowing a raven lock of hair out of her face. “What? No, everything’s completely under control.”

Artemis looked around the kitchen that had always been immaculate up to the moment Alfred left town. Now, it looked like a hurricane had invaded the manor. “Looks like Alfred’s kitchen could use some help.”

“Don’t you start too,” Donna groused with a scowl. “I’ve already heard it from every other member of this family including the kiddos.”

“Do you need me to do something?” Artemis offered, leaning her forearms on the one bare spot on the kitchen counter.

“I think we’re having spaghetti for supper, but I can’t find the—aha!” she yelled, picking up the pan she’d been searching for the last ten minutes.

Artemis glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming into the kitchen. “Can I ask you something personal?” she ventured.

“Sure,” Donna said as she went to one of the cupboards. “What’s going on?”

“Jason proposed the other night,” she revealed.

Donna dropped the pan in her hand, creating a loud crash as her head whipped around in shock. “You’re kidding?” she nearly yelled.

“Shhh…” Artemis shushed her with a pointed glare.

“Why?” she asked. “Didn’t you accept?”

Artemis looked rather sheepish as she suddenly became fascinated with the stack of pans on the countertop. “Not exactly.”

“What?” Donna gasped as she walked around the large island towards her friend. “You said no?”

“I did not say no,” she adamantly stated, straightening up and folding her arms against her chest. “I said maybe…not now…let’s talk about it.”

“Artemis!” she scolded her with a scowl. “Don’t you love Jason?”

“Yes…of course, I love him,” she claimed. “I don’t know if I want to get married. I mean why do we have to get married? Things are good as they are. Why change it?”

“Don’t you want to make a more permanent commitment to each other?” Donna questioned her.

“I am committed to him,” Artemis maintained. “Jason knows that I love him. If I didn’t love him, I wouldn’t be with him. Why do I need to wear a ring and take his name to prove that to anyone?”

“Marriage is more than making a public commitment to someone,” she attempted to explain. “It’s about wanting to build a future with someone that you want to spend forever with. Do you not want that with Jason?”

“I guess,” Artemis softly replied.

“Well, you need to decide if Jason is the one that you want to spend your life with,” she advised. “I will tell you that it was a big deal to Jason to propose marriage.”

“He said he was fine with it,” she told her. “He said we could wait and talk about it.”

“He may have told you that he was fine, but I’m telling you, he’s hurt that you didn’t say yes,” she explained. “I know Jason. He’s questioning everything right now about himself and your relationship.”

Artemis frowned, huffing in annoyance. “Then, why didn’t he just say that?”

“He’s trying to give you some time in hopes that you’ll eventually say yes,” she told her. “He’s opened his heart to you, Artemis. He loves you deeply. Please, don’t take that lightly because for him that is huge.”

“DD, I’m hungry!” Nicholas said as he ran into the kitchen.

“We’re going to eat in a little bit,” she replied, searching the kitchen counter for something to give him to hold him over. “Here, have a carrot.”

Nicholas looked skeptically at the orange vegetable in her outstretched hand. “Really? Pappoús lets me have a cookie.”

“That’s because you have Alfred wrapped around your finger,” Donna told him. “It’s that or a glass of water, kid.”

Nicholas snatched the carrot out of her hand before running away. “Wow, you’re good,” Artemis praised her.

Donna grinned. “Wait till you taste my spaghetti.”

XXX

Jason hurried down the steps into the cave, finding Dick on the platform before the Cray computer system. He raked his fingers back through his hair as he made his way to him, trying to order his thoughts before delving into a conversation that he didn’t want to have, but he needed help.

“Hey, what are you working on?” Jason asked.

“Just getting up to speed on Bruce’s most recent open case files,” he replied. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head. “Just moved some stuff back into my old bedroom.”

Dick chuckled as he pulled up another file. “With the way things go around here, we should all just move back into the manor permanently,” he told him. “That would save us from moving in and out.”

Jason absentmindedly replied with a muttered “yeah”, staring out into the vast expanse of the Batcave. He didn’t know why he was finding it so difficult to talk to his brother. Then again, talking about his feelings was never something that he did very well.

“Hey, what’s going on with you?” Dick asked with a frown, noticing his gloomy demeanor.

Jason looked up to find him looking at him, waiting for an answer. “I proposed to Artemis,” he found himself confessing.

“Congratulations, man,” Dick excitedly replied, reaching over and clapping his brother on the shoulder.

Jason’s shoulders sunk along with his heart. “She said no.”

“She said no?”

“Actually, she said maybe,” he clarified. “She wants time to think about it.”

“I’m sorry, Jas,” Dick said.

Jason leaned forward, holding his head in his hands. “What do I do? I love her…I don’t want to lose her, but she doesn’t want to marry me. Should I just break it off and move on?”

“Don’t give up on her,” Dick adamantly stated. “You know how strong and independent Artemis is, Jas. Deep down, the notion of marriage probably scares her on some level. Some women see it as giving up who they are as a person…giving up everything they know to be a wife. As a warrior, she’s going to have an aversion to something like that.”

“Yes, but Diana and Donna are warriors and they got married…had children,” Jason countered as he sat back in his chair. “I don’t think of them as any less of a warrior because they have husbands.”

“We see it like that, but Artemis hasn’t been a part of Man’s World for as long as Diana and Troia,” he explained. “This is all sort of new to her. I wouldn’t give up on her if I were you. She loves you.”

“You really think so?”

“Just because she doesn’t want to jump into marriage doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you,” he continued. “She just needs a little time to adjust to the idea. Is this something that you two have talked about at all?”

“No,” Jason admitted. “I…kind of sprung it on her.”

“You know you can’t spring anything on Artemis and not expect to get some sort of push back.”

A lop-sided smile slowly formed on Jason’s face as he thought about it. “I guess I was so excited about proposing that I forgot that part,” he admitted. “She’s so unbelievably stubborn and determined and fierce…”

“And you love her…you want to make a life with her,” Dick finished for him.

“Yeah,” Jason murmured.

“You never know,” Dick said. “She might end up proposing to you.”

“She said she might be the one to propose,” he revealed, his smile returning as well as his confidence.

“See?” Dick replied. “Hope is not lost. You just need to be patient with her. I’m sure she’ll warm up to the idea once she’s had a chance to think about it.”

“With my luck, she’ll probably return to Themyscira and never come back.”

“Hey, she hasn’t run away yet, so I’d take that as a good sign.”

“Yeah…you’re right,” he relented.

“Now, help me figure out how we’re going to track down this ghost in Gotham,” Dick told him. “Barbara caught a brief glimpse of our mysterious visitor and sent Tim to check it out, but by the time he got there, he couldn’t find anything.”

“Maybe it’s really a Meta,” he suggested. “At least they’ve been helping us instead of causing us more trouble.”

“True,” Dick agreed as thought about it, “but for how long?”

**_Gotham; August 8th, 00:06 EST_ **

Robin grunted as he caught the boot of the mugger he was fighting, flipping him off balance and causing him to fall on his backside with a thud. He smirked at the thief who pulled a gun on him, effectively kicking it out of his hand. The gun skidded along the ground before coming to rest against a dumpster.

“Ready to call it quits?” Robin asked.

“Yeah right,” the mugger retorted. “I ain’t surrendering to some punk kid in a goofy costume.”

“Punk kid? Goofy costume?” Damian stated as he stalked straight towards him with his cape whipping in the wind that had picked up in the city. “I’ll teach you who’s a punk kid in a goofy costume.”

The mugger lunged towards Robin, determined to teach this kid a lesson in interfering in his business. Before he could get halfway to him, a figure dressed all in black from head to toe intervened, kicking him squarely in the jaw and sending him flying backward.

“Hey!” Robin yelled. “What did you do that for? I had him!”

The figure turned to look at him, tilting their head slightly as they stared at Robin. They stood there sizing each other up for several long moments before Robin finally spoke again. “You’re the new guy in town,” he ventured. “What’s your name and why are you here?”

The figure in black just stared at him before turning and retreating into the shadows that they had emerged from. Robin took off after their mysterious ghost, wanting to get more information. He didn’t appreciate anyone interfering in his fights or feeling that he needed help. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, more highly trained than any of his adoptive brothers or even his father as far as he was concerned.

Racing around the corner, Damian stopped short to find the alley empty. There was no sign of their enigma anywhere. He looked at the walls and the rooftops, wondering how they had been able to disappear so quickly. Whoever they were, they were highly skilled and very fast.

“Robin to Oracle,” he hailed on his commlink.

“What’s up, Rob?” she responded.

“Just had a run-in with our mysterious friend,” he revealed.

“Really?” she excitedly replied. “Did you find out anything?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s a female and she’s good…I mean really good.”

“Anything else you can tell me?”

“I’ve got a pickup,” he told her. “Mugger attacked a couple of women.”

“Sending a car now,” she responded. “See if you can find our friend.”

“She’s gone,” he replied. “Disappeared as quickly as she came.”

“Hmmm…do you think she’s a Meta?”

“Could be,” he decided. “Won’t know more till I can get her to talk. I’ll see if I can track her down.”

“Good luck,” Oracle said. “Keep me posted if you find her.”

“Robin out.”

Robin put his hands on his hips as he looked around him, wondering where to start. He swore he could feel her eyes on him watching his every move, but he couldn’t tell where she was at. With a huff of annoyance, he turned on his heel and stalked back to his unconscious mugger.

He quickly cuffed the crook before firing his grappling gun, allowing the line to carry him away. Landing on a nearby rooftop, he walked to the ledge so he could get a good view of the area in hopes of catching sight of her once more. Unfortunately, there didn’t appear to be anyone around.

“I know you’re here somewhere,” Robin murmured to himself. “Now, what are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So much going on in this fic! Can I also say how much I love Alfred's team? I think it might be fun to do a series of one-shots based on Alfred and his team 40yrs ago. What do you think?
> 
> UP NEXT: John makes a decision that Shayera doesn't particularly like while the Batclan discusses the new visitor in town. Meanwhile, Bruce and Diana have an unexpected visitor. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**_Gulf Coast; August 8th, 08:56 EST_ **

Green Lantern used his power ring to stack more bags of sand, knowing that they were on borrowed time. That hurricane was predicted to hit the coast of Texas by eleven. They’d been working for hours trying to shore up weak spots and try to build up a formidable wall of protection, but the deluge of rain that had already fallen had caused rivers and streams to swell.

Shayera swooped in, upending a dump truckload of dirt. She landed by her husband who had waved her over. “I hope you have a lot more because we’re going to need a hundred times that,” he told her.

“Give me a chance,” she replied. “I’ve been helping bolstering protection along a nearby river that was overflowing its banks.”

“We’re going to need more help if we’re going to keep this part of the state from being wiped out by that hurricane,” Ice informed them as she flew in with more bags of sand.

“Did someone ask for help?” Flash asked as he suddenly appeared beside John with his hands on his hips, appearing for the world like the superhero he was.

“It’s about time,” John told him with a frown. “What took you so long?”

“Boomerang was robbing a bank in Central City,” he replied. “He and I had a difference of opinion.”

“What was the difference?” Shayera asked.

“He thought he should have all the money in the bank, and I disagreed,” Flash said with a grin.

Shayera shook her head with a frown as John gave him a look that spoke volumes about what he thought of Flash’s joke. “We need help getting these bags filled with sand,” John informed him. “That hurricane will be here before we know it. The rainstorms have already caused problems without having to worry about a hurricane.”

“I’m going to need your help figuring out how to propose to Linda,” Flash said, his shoulders slumping as he revealed his disheartened disposition. “I can’t come up with something that would be super romantic that she would love.”

“We’ll have you over for dinner and we’ll come up with a game plan,” Shayera suggested.

Flash seemed to brighten a little with her offer to help. “That would awesome,” he replied. “I want to do something unique. I’ve wracked my brain and I can’t come up with anything different and creative.”

“We’ll help you come up with something, but not right now,” John said. “We have to start filling bags with that sand.”

“Oh yah…right,” Flash replied, racing towards the mountain of sand.

Flash was nothing but a red blur as the sand mound quickly went down as piles of sandbags grew. It really was amazing to behold. The scarlet speedster was cutting down on the amount of time it would’ve taken them to get ready for the hurricane’s arrival, helping to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

“What’s next?” Flash asked as he came to stand between Green Lantern and Shayera.

“Could use some help!” Ice yelled as she dumped another truckload of dirt. “I’m the only one working here!”

“There you go,” John replied with a nod towards Ice.

“On my way,” Flash said.

“He’s really worried about proposing to Linda,” Shay told her husband. “I hope we can come up with a good plan for him.”

“That’s the least of my worries right now,” John replied. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Shay put her hand on her husband’s back. “Still worried about what the Lantern Corps found?”

John drew a deep breath as he shook his head. “They can’t reach the team they sent out there,” he revealed, his throat tightening with what could’ve happened to the team.

“None of them?”

“No,” he confirmed. “Their hails aren’t being answered. I’m really worried that they might have met a horrific end.”

“What are we going to do if this Legionnaire is headed this way?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” he confessed. “We don’t even know what we’re up against if it does show up on Earth.”

“By the time it gets here, it’ll be too late,” she murmured, her heart racing with the thought. She was fearful for the people of Earth but even more so for her children.

“That’s why I think I’m going to have to go see what I can find out,” he hesitantly told her, casting a sidelong glance at his wife. He knew it wasn’t going to be well received.

“You honestly think I’m going to let you go out there alone to see if some unknown alien being that can destroy whole worlds is heading to Earth?” she ground out.

“Shay, you should stay here with the kids,” he tried to tell her. “It’s too dangerous for both of us to go.”

Shayera’s expression grew horrified. “You don’t think you’re coming back,” she whispered in a haunting tone.

“I never said that,” he countered, holding his hands up in front of him. “I just think it would be better if one of us stays here with the kids.”

“You implied it,” she snapped. “If you think you’re going out there on a suicide mission, you have another thing coming.”

John put his hands on her shoulders, gazing deep into her eyes. “Shay, someone has to go out there and try to find out what we’re up against before it gets anywhere near Earth or we’re all doomed.”

“You’re taking someone with you,” she insisted. “You are not going alone.”

“It’s better if I go alone,” he told her.

“So, when you die on this recon mission, there will be more of us on Earth to fight this alien?” she yelled. “Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

“Not in so many words, but yeah…it is something that we have to consider,” he calmly replied. “The fewer people we put at risk on a recon mission the more we’ll have to fight Legionnaire if it comes gunning for us.”

“I don’t like this,” she spat out, folding her arms tightly against her body as she turned away from him. “Let Superman go. He’s indestructible.”

“That’s why we need him here…in case something happens,” he reminded her. “We’ll need Superman to be the last line of defense for Earth.”

“Why can’t they send more Green Lanterns from Oa?” she demanded to know.

“They’re also trying to prepare for a possible attack,” he told her. “They’re going to send another team, but I need to see what I can find out for Earth and the Justice League.”

Shayera suddenly turned on her heel, grabbing him by the face and kissing him hard. “You had damn well return home, John Stewart,” she heatedly stated. “If you don’t…”

“I know,” he interrupted her, a grin on his face. “What if I take Wally with me? Will that make you feel better?”

Shayera rolled her eyes with a huff of annoyance. “Oh yah…that just makes it all the better,” she snapped. “He’s about to propose to Linda. Do you think he’ll be in a good state of mind to go on a dangerous mission?”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Flash asked, appearing beside John. “I thought we were supposed to be protecting the Gulf Coast, not having a marital spat.”

“I need to go find out what this Legionnaire is and what we’re possibly up against,” John revealed, his gaze not leaving Shayera for a second.

“You can’t go alone,” Flash stated. “I’ll go with you.”

“Wally, you’re about to propose to Linda…to start a new life for yourself with the woman you love,” Shayera reminded him. “Do you want to leave Linda right now?”

“It’s our job, Shay,” Flash pointed out. “Yeah, it sucks, but we have to find out what that thing is so we can stop it if it comes for us. If we don’t go, we won’t be prepared and then we have no hope of beating it. We’ll end up just like those other worlds that didn’t survive.”

John put his hand on Wally’s shoulder, squeezing it affectionately. “Our little Flash is growing up, Shay.”

“Well, if I don’t make it back, Shay will be the one who’ll have to deal with Linda,” Wally said with a laugh. “It won’t be pretty. She’s head over heels in love with me.”

“Oh, brother,” Shayera muttered under her breath.

“Hey! A little help here!” Ice hollered as she deposited another dump truckload of dirt. “Am I seriously the only one working here?”

**_Batcave; August 8th, 11:33 EST_ **

“Okay, tell us again what happened,” Dick told him.

Damian scowled at him as he shoved his hands into his sweatshirt pockets. “Are you serious?” he retorted. “I’ve told you guys like five times already.”

“We just want to make sure we didn’t miss anything,” Barbara assured him from the video feed on one of the computer screens.

Damian huffed in annoyance as he dropped into a nearby chair. “This is ridiculous,” he groused. “I was about to finish off a thug when this girl dressed in black showed up. She kicked him in the jaw…turned and looked at me before running off.”

“You’re positive she didn’t say a word to you?” Tim quizzed him.

“For the last time no!” Damian growled. “She didn’t say a word. I asked her who she was and what she wanted in Gotham, but she ran off into the night. When I chased after her, I couldn’t find her.”

“Did you try very hard to find her?” Jason asked, eating chips out of a bag.

Damian leveled him with a Batglare that would’ve made his father quite proud. “I ran after her, but I couldn’t find her, so I shot my grappling line and tried looking for her from the rooftop. I felt like she was watching me, but I couldn’t find her anywhere.”

“All right,” Dick said. “Let’s go over what she looked like.”

“Black,” Damian replied with a frown, everyone staring at him in hopes he’d provide more information. “She was dressed in black from head to toe. There was no skin showing. She could have been purple for all I know.”

“What color were her eyes?” Artemis questioned him.

“Brown,” he stated. “They were definitely brown.”

“Dark brown or light brown?” Dick asked.

“Brown!” Damian yelled. “Brown as in brown!”

“Well, that gives us a little something to go on,” Barbara commented from the computer screen.

“Are you sure it was a girl and not a guy?” Jason asked.

Damian was growing more irritated with every passing moment. This had to be worse than the Spanish Inquisition. “I know the difference between a guy and a girl,” he snapped.

“He is dating Raven after all,” Tim interjected.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Jason uttered with a frown.

“Look, she had a chest,” Damian informed them, using his hands to mimic breasts. “There was no disguising them in a fitted black outfit.”

Jason grinned as he reached for his can of pop. “So, you were paying attention. I thought you were all work and no fun. It’s good to know that you’re human and not a machine.”

“I notice the opposite sex,” Damian ground out.

“Okay, let’s focus on something other than this girl’s…features,” Barbara cut in. “How tall was she?”

“She was about six inches taller than me,” he told her. “Maybe five-nine.”

“So, she’s older than you are,” Barbara muttered to herself. “That means we’re likely dealing with someone between the ages of fourteen or fifteen to—”

“Ninety?” Jason sarcastically interjected.

Barbara glared at Jason who just laughed it off. “I was going to say young adult.”

“It could be someone older than that, Barbara,” Dick told her.

“Do we know how old Callum Fleming’s daughter Verity Braun is?” Artemis inquired.

“She’s forty-three,” Tim said.

“No way she was that old,” Damian ultimately decided with a definitive shake of his head.

“Why?” Tim asked. “What makes you say that?”

“She didn’t move like an old person,” Damian stated.

“A forty-three-year-old is not an old person,” Jason corrected him. “If Bruce hadn’t been immortalized at the age of thirty-eight, he’d soon be pushing forty-three.”

“She just moved like someone a lot younger,” he clarified.

“Hey, gang…it’s not Verity Braun,” Barbara interrupted. “Verity Braun is five foot five and a hundred pounds.”

“She was definitely bigger than that,” Damian insisted. “She was at least a hundred and thirty pounds.”

“Looks like our new player in Gotham is still a mystery,” Barbara announced.

“She hasn’t done anything to make us think that she’s here for anything other than to help us,” Artemis commented.

“For now,” Damian added.

Tim turned to look at Damian, skeptical about his response. “Do you think she’s going to help us only to turn on us later?” he questioned him. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’m just saying that we need to be careful,” he replied. “We don’t want to assume she’s friendly only for her to have ulterior motives for being here.”

“She’s helped Artemis and me by stopping Black Spider and now she’s helped you,” Jason pointed out. “There have also been several crooks found unconscious without any idea who stopped them in the act. I have yet to see any evidence that says she’s crooked.”

“I’m just saying that we should be cautious…don’t welcome her with open arms before we know more,” Damian clarified.

“Damian is right,” Artemis agreed. “We need to find out more before we pass judgment one way or another.”

“I think if I can get some good security camera shots…” Barbara murmured to herself.

“Hey, guys,” Donna’s voice came over the intercom. “Lunch is ready. Get it while it’s hot.”

Everyone groaned in unison. 

“How soon is Alfred coming back?” Damian voiced the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“Not soon enough,” Jason decided.

“Hey, she’s really trying here,” Dick stuck up for his wife. “We just have to get through this.”

“How do you eat her cooking all the time?” Damian asked.

Dick shrugged. “You kind of get used to it after a while,” he thoughtfully replied. “She’s getting better. You should have been there for our first few meals after we got married.”

“I’m ordering pizza,” Jason said. “Who’s in?”

“Me too,” Tim agreed, raising his hand.

“Count me in,” Damian responded, raising his hand as well.

“Look, Donna made lunch,” Dick stated in no uncertain terms. “Let’s just get through it and I’ll order pizza for supper. Okay? I don’t want to hurt her feelings. Do you?”

“No,” Tim admitted with a sigh. “We all love Donna…just not her cooking.”

Dick was greeted with grumbled acceptance of his plan. “Fine, but when Alfred gets back, he’s giving her some cooking lessons so if this happens again, we’ll be better prepared,” Jason groused. “I’m tired of picking off the charred parts of my dinner.”

“Sounds like a great plan,” Dick determined with a relieved sigh. “It’s a win-win for me if Alfred teaches her a few things.”

“I didn’t think her spaghetti was that bad,” Artemis said as she stood up from her chair.

“I had heartburn all night,” Tim muttered.

Everyone headed upstairs, forgetting about Barbara. “Okay, I think if we can…” she began, her voice trailing off as she looked up to find everyone gone. “Guys? Hey, guys!”

**_England; August 8th, 14:09 EST_ **

Bruce cast a sidelong glance at his wife sitting on the couch working on her laptop. He could tell that something had been on her mind the last few days…something that had nothing to do with Alfred. He couldn’t begin to figure out what that something could be.

Apart from Alfred’s current crisis, things had been going uncharacteristically well for them. The Justice League was self-sufficient for the most part with their expanded roster, and their family life was amazing with very few bumps in the road. Their marriage was still going strong in every way. They were still very much in love as evidenced by their passionate encounter in the shower the other day.

In his mind, everything was perfect. Did she still feel the same way?

She’d been abnormally quiet over the last hour or so, leading him to wonder what it was that she was thinking about or what she had uncovered. He could tell by the expression on her face that whatever it was that she had found it was something big.

Diana’s eyebrows furrowed as she reread what she had just discovered. Could it be possible that Callum Fleming was hiding right beneath their collective noses? The thought caused her stomach to churn. Could he be so egotistical to be hiding in plain sight?

“Oh, Hera…” she murmured.

“What is it, princess?” Bruce asked from his seat at the table.

Diana looked up from her laptop, worry permeating her sapphire eyes. “I’m not sure, but I think I may have found something significant,” she replied.

Bruce got up from his chair to join her, sitting down on the couch beside her to look at her laptop. “What did you find?”

“It looks like Verity Braun bought a house in the country about a year ago under her deceased mother’s name,” she revealed. “It’s located about forty-five minutes outside of London.”

“Now, that is interesting,” Bruce murmured, reaching over to scroll down. “How did you manage to come across this?”

“I was searching for anything about Callum or Verity,” she revealed. “I stumbled across it by accident. It was buried pretty deep.”

“I wonder if Alfred’s team knows about this,” Bruce said.

“I don’t know, but we need to find a way to tell them,” she told him, picking up a map of London and the surrounding area.

At that moment, a knock at the door signaled someone’s arrival. “That would be Nigel with the dinner I ordered for us,” Bruce said. “I took the liberty of ordering us a romantic dinner along with your favorite wine.”

“I knew there was a reason I loved you so much,” she replied, kissing him on the cheek as she got up to answer the door, the map still in her hand.

Staring at the map, Diana opened the door, turning her attention back to Bruce. “I think we might need to take a drive there tomorrow to check it out. He might be hiding out there.”

“Probably wouldn’t hurt,” Bruce agreed.

“Don’t you think you should run it past me first?”

Bruce and Diana both looked up in shock to find Alfred was the one who had delivered the food cart. “Alfred!” Diana cried, running to him and wrapping her arms around him. “You’ve had us worried sick.”

Alfred smiled fondly as he returned her embrace that was nearly crushing. “I’m sorry to have worried you so,” he apologized, releasing his hold on her.

Bruce embraced his father-figure, finding his throat narrowing with unexpected emotion. “How did you know we were here?” he managed to ask as he retreated.

Alfred audibly scoffed at his surrogate son. “My boy, I knew within an hour of your arrival in London that you were here.”

Diana grinned as she took Alfred by the hand, leading him to sit on the couch with them. “Bruce learned many of his skills from you,” she observed.

“I don’t know about that,” Alfred humbly replied, sitting down next to Diana.

“Tell us everything that has been going on,” Bruce urgently stated as he sat down in an overstuffed chair.

“The team has been reassembled,” he revealed. “We’ve been working day and night trying to find out where Callum Fleming has been hiding.”

“Have you been able to find anything yet?” Diana questioned him.

“Katrine and I visited his cell at the prison,” he continued. “I found three books that he had in his cell. I’ve been digging through them in hopes of finding some sort of clue, but I haven’t been able to find anything yet.”

“We saw the news about Warden Wallace Robinson,” Bruce informed him. “It didn’t reveal much except that it was likely the Son of Ripper.”

“He wrote on the wall in Robinson’s blood ‘who will be next’ with the initials SOR written beneath it,” Alfred told them.

“He’s pure evil,” Diana angrily bit out. “What can we do to help you?”

“Let us handle it,” Alfred stated. “If we need your help, I’ll contact you, but leave it to us for now.”

“Alfred, I don’t—”

“Bruce,” Diana gently interrupted him, reaching over to cover his hand with hers.

Bruce released a frustrated breath. “We’ll hang back,” he reluctantly agreed. “We’ll stay here and keep doing research. If we find anything, we can let you know.”

Alfred grinned affectionately, seeing once again Diana’s influence on the stubborn man sitting across from him. “I know it’s quite difficult for you not to involve yourself in this, but I need to do this, Master Bruce,” he insisted. “This is very personal for me. He killed my good friend Nolan as well as many innocent people. I will not rest until he is captured again.”

“I understand,” Bruce replied with a nod, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “The tables have turned have they not?”

“Indeed, they certainly have,” Alfred said. “How many nights did I spend trying to help you from the cave, wishing I could be out there taking on the case with you?”

“Too many to count,” Bruce agreed.

“We’ll be your Alfred this time,” Diana confirmed. “We’ll stay here at the hotel and continue doing research. If you need us to do anything, let us know and we’ll be there.”

“Tell me,” Alfred requested. “What were you two talking about doing tomorrow when I arrived with your dinner?”

“Diana found something interesting,” Bruce told him. “Verity bought a country manor forty-five minutes outside of London under her dead mother’s name.”

“Now, that is very interesting,” Alfred murmured. “Would you two mind taking a drive out there to see what you can find?”

“We’d be happy to,” Diana verified. 

“I don’t need to tell you to keep your presence lowkey while you’re here,” Alfred reminded them, turning his attention to Bruce. “You really need to use a better alias, Master Bruce. You’ve used the same one for years.”

Bruce rolled his eyes, with a frown. “It’s always worked until now.”

“Just don’t let Callum Fleming know you’re here,” he stated. “I don’t want him taking your presence here as an invitation to visit Wayne Manor.”

“No worries,” Bruce said. “The whole family is staying at the manor with the kids.”

“Good heavens,” Alfred replied with a worried expression on his face. “Miss Donna isn’t using my kitchen, is she?”

Bruce and Diana shared a knowing look. “I’ll buy you a new kitchen,” Bruce promised him.

“That isn’t very reassuring.”

“Alfred, let us order you something for dinner so you can eat with us,” Diana suggested, getting up and heading towards the phone. “We’d love for you to join us for dinner.”

“I took the liberty of adding my dinner to your order,” he revealed with a smirk. “I suggest we eat before our food gets cold.”

Bruce chuckled as he shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”

Diana brought the trays of food to the table where the men joined her. They settled into their dinner, catching up on other details about the case. Alfred told them about his team, his eyes gleaming with obvious excitement about being reunited with the people that had been like a family to him.

“Who do you think is Callum’s next target?” Diana asked.

“It could be any number of people,” Alfred replied with a thoughtful frown. “There were so many people involved in targeting the Son of Ripper. I do know that I will be the last one that he comes after.”

Bruce’s blue eyes narrowed as he stared at him. “Why do you say that?”

“He etched my name into the back of the desk drawer in his cell with a cross next to it,” Alfred informed them. “He always held a special contempt for me.”

“We won’t let that happen, Alfred,” Diana resolutely stated. “I’d protect you with my life if need be.”

“I appreciate that, Miss Diana, but you have little ones at home that need their mother.”

“They also need their grandfather,” she insisted. “Kaia wants you to come home so you can start the next Harry Potter book with her, and Nicholas doesn’t want to put his new Lego set together because Pappoús isn’t there to help him.”

Alfred smiled fondly as he thought about Nicholas and Kaia and how much he missed them though he’d only been gone for four days. It felt like a month or more. “I miss those children dearly,” he confessed, “but they’re part of the reason I’m here. I can’t let Callum hurt another soul. If he knew how much you all meant to me, he’d be in Gotham in a heartbeat to destroy all of you.”

“We won’t let that happen,” Bruce stated in no uncertain terms.

“Did you find out yet who the phantom person is that arrived in Gotham?” Alfred inquired.

“No, not yet, but they’re working on it,” Bruce replied. “They know it’s a female with brown eyes, but that’s it.”

Alfred thoughtfully chewed his meat, his gaze growing distance. “Callum preferred to work alone,” he revealed. “He didn’t like the idea of bringing in anyone to work with him and possibly get any credit. He preferred to do all the work himself so he could have all of the so-called glory and notoriety. The fact that he has a daughter that is helping him has changed all of that.”

“I’d love to get my hands on him,” Diana bit out, tightly gripping her fork.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to get in line, Miss Diana,” Alfred said.

“Well, I guess we can’t rule out anyone associated with Callum as being our ghost,” Bruce decided.

“I wonder who she is and what she’s up to?” Diana said.

“I have a feeling we’ll find out soon enough,” Bruce told her.

“You think she’ll reveal her true intentions soon?” Alfred questioned him.

“The fact that she allowed herself to be seen by Damian makes me think that she wants to reach out to us in some way,” Bruce explained. “Maybe she’s looking for someone or something.”

“Or maybe she’s looking for a home,” Diana suggested.

“Time will tell,” Bruce replied. “I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be more trouble for us.”

**_Gotham; August 8th, 23:11 EST_ **

The lights of the television reflected in the dark room as she poked at her take-out dinner. What had sounded good at the time now sat cold on the bed before her partially untouched. She flopped back on her bed, the old springs squeaking noisily with the movement. 

She had hoped to find someplace better and far more respectable than this dump, but she didn’t want to squander her finances. She guessed it was better than sleeping under some bridge. She rolled onto her side, squeezing her eyes closed against the past that insisted on following her everywhere she went.

Getting up, she wandered over to the window, using her index finger to move the hideous seventy’s looking curtain to the side. Rain was beginning to fall on the street outside, creating an even more dreary atmosphere in this city.

Gotham had called to her for some reason that she couldn’t explain or quite understand. Despite the darkness that seemed to blanket the city, it felt like she was finally where she belonged…like she was home. She just didn’t know why as of yet. 

She longed to be part of a real family, hoping she could find one here in Gotham. She had run into a few of the heroes of this city. She found herself wanting to learn more about them, wanting to possibly join them if they would let her, but then again, she was probably meant to be alone.

She had hoped that she could escape her past, but deep down she knew there was no escaping it. It followed her everywhere she went, lingering right there in the recesses of her mind, ready to remind her of what she had done. Even after all this time, the memories and emotions that accompanied it were as strong as the day it had happened, and she hated herself for it.

Forgiveness wasn’t something that she would allow herself—not now, not ever…not after what she had done.

She needed to atone for her actions…to make things right. It was time to go out and see what she could do to pay for her past and possibly make a future for herself. She just wished that she deserved a bright future. Unfortunately, that wasn’t for her.

With a determined look on her face, she grabbed her mask and headed for the door.

Locking the door behind her, she walked down the sidewalk with her mask in hand only to be stopped by a large man who suddenly stepped in front of her. “Hey, you shouldn’t be out here all alone,” he told her with a leering gleam in his dark eyes.

She glared him down, practically daring him to try anything. She attempted to walk around the man who towered over her, but he grabbed hold of her arm, dragging her to a stop. She looked down at his hand on her arm, her anger growing hotter with every passing moment. She didn’t have time for this.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, tightening his hold on her upper arm. “I think you and I should spend a little time getting to know one another. What’s your name?”

She jerked her arm free from his hold, storming away from him. The man had no idea that he was messing with the wrong person or that his life was in great danger. If he knew what she was, he would run away and not look back.

She found herself being grabbed from behind. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground and keeping her pressed up against his chest. “You aren’t going anywhere,” he growled low in her ear. “I like them better when they’re feisty and put up a fight.”

She ground her teeth as she whipped her head back, slamming the back of her head into his nose. He instantly dropped her, cursing as he held his broken nose. Blood dripped down his chin as he bared his teeth at her, his hands balling into fists.

“You’re going to pay for that,” he spat out.

She stood there staring him down, waiting for him to make the first move. He didn’t let her down as he lunged at her. Like a flash of lightning, her fist shot out, punching him directly in the throat. He stumbled backward, choking as he grabbed his throat in an attempt to breathe.

She followed up with a sharp kick to the temple, dropping him to the ground. She stood over him for a moment, shame filling her throat as she stared down at him. She could’ve killed him…but she hadn’t. She’d come close, though. She needed to temper her strength and her skills to make sure that never happened again.

Putting her mask on, she ran off, disappearing into the darkness to begin her night of redemption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm so loving how this is going!! Hope you are too, my fellow Wonderbat fans! Thanks for the support. :)
> 
> UP NEXT: Katrine and Alfred talk, Tim and Cassie work on a project together, Shayera doesn't like the plan, and Bruce and Diana check out a possible lead.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**_England; August 9th, 00:16 EST_ **

“Do you really think he’s going to make his move here tonight?” Katrine asked, sipping her cup of coffee.

“I wouldn’t bet against it,” Alfred replied, his attention fixed on Judge Cohen Gallagher’s house. “He’s already knocked off Wallace. He’s going to take each of them one by one before turning his attention on us.”

Katrine glanced at Alfred, his profile stirring something inside of her that she’d long ago buried. It didn’t feel like it had been forty-two years since she had last seen him, no time had passed since they had last been together like this. It brought her a sense of warmth and familiarity that had been sorely missing since he had left for Gotham.

She thought that Alfred had only grown more handsome over the years, leaving her to wonder what might have been. She silently scolded herself. She was mooning over him like a barmy schoolgirl. Life had taken them in different directions—he to the Wayne family in Gotham and her to a high-profile job with Scotland Yard.

While she was happy with her life, the questions still lingered despite her best efforts.

Alfred fought the urge to glance at his partner, but he couldn’t help wondering what she was thinking about. This whole escapade had resurrected feelings that were just as strong as the day that he had left London for Gotham all those years ago.

“Why didn’t you ever write?”

The sound of her voice was soft like silk and yet held a note of sadness that pricked his heart. “I did,” he just as softly confessed.

Katrine’s head snapped to the side, staring at her former lover in disbelief. “You did? I never received any of them.”

“I never mailed them,” he admitted.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t think it was fair to you,” he revealed with a heavy sigh. “We both needed to move on after everything that had happened. I didn’t want to make things more difficult for you.”

Katrine reached over to place her hand on top of his. “I still would’ve liked to have heard from my friend.”

Alfred turned his hand over to hold hers. “I would’ve liked that too,” he replied. “I promise I’ll write you when I return to the States.”

“You better or I’ll personally hunt you down this time,” she teasingly threatened him.

He chuckled lightly with her threat. “You would too.”

“You know I would.”

“You should come to Gotham for a visit sometime when this is all over,” he suggested. “I would love for you to meet my family, but especially my grandchildren.”

Katrine couldn’t help but notice the joyful gleam in his eyes as he mentioned his grandchildren. “I’d love to meet your family,” she replied. “I believe your grandchildren would be Nicholas and Kaia, right?”

“Bloody tabloids,” Alfred spat out in utter disgust. “Master Bruce and Miss Diana work tirelessly to keep the little ones out of the press, but I’m afraid the media is just as determined to print everything they can get their hands on. Their incessant pursuit of a four and a five-year-old infuriates me to no end. What could possibly be interesting enough to put in the tabloids?”

“They’re not only the children of Bruce Wayne but their mother is Wonder Woman,” she reminded him.

“And the world wants to know absolutely everything about their life,” Alfred bitterly said. “If they only understood that they’re just like any other family.”

Katrine scoffed in response to his comment, her emerald eyes shining with amusement. “Alfred, they’re anything but normal.”

“You’re right…but the world doesn’t know that part,” he pointed out. “I guess I’ve been a part of it for so long that it all just seems so natural to me now. Still, Master Bruce and Miss Diana do their absolute best to keep things as normal as possible for the children’s sake.

“Despite their busy schedules, they both manage to spend time with them every day, reading to them and playing with them…tucking them into bed at night. They have done an amazing job of balancing everything.”

“Tell me about your grandchildren,” she requested. “What are Nicholas and Kaia like?”

“Nicholas is five years old and will be starting kindergarten already,” he proudly reported. “He’s very much a thinker, always churning things over in his mind. I can tell he’s going to invent things like his father. He’s compassionate and tenderhearted like his mother…such a sweet spirit, but he’s very protective of his sister. They’re like partners in crime.”

“And Kaia?”

Alfred couldn’t help but laugh as he considered his granddaughter. “Now, that one is a corker if I ever saw one. She can be a cheeky one that girl and will be starting preschool. She has the combined mischief of both of her parents, making her a little four-year-old force to be reckoned with.”

“She sounds like a handful,” she commented with a laugh.

“Not any more than her father was when he was her age,” he decided, fondly thinking back on Bruce’s childhood. The similarities between father and daughter were rather startling. “She has a purity of heart and a feisty spirit that wraps everyone around her finger.”

“I would’ve loved to have children but alas…” Katrine’s voice trailed off, thoughts of the baby that she had lost assaulting her. “I am blessed to have plenty of nieces and nephews to fill the void.”

“You would’ve been a wonderful mother, Kat,” he gently replied, swallowing hard with the painful memory. It had been heart-rending for them when she had miscarried their daughter Julia. It was something that was still painful even after all of this time.

“Do you ever wonder what Julia would have been like?” she hesitantly asked him in the melancholy ambiance that had abruptly settled over the car.

“Quite often,” he murmured.

Katrine smiled sadly at him as she fought back tears, neither able to speak of it any further. Too painful…to many tears and far too many emotions. Instead, they sat in silence holding hands for nearly half an hour, lost to the past and the different directions life had taken them.

Alfred stared at the house they were watching, wondering if his instincts about Callum striking here next were correct. Their team had been standing guard every night without any signs of the Son of Ripper. No, he knew that he was coming here next. It was the obvious next step, one that Callum wouldn’t hesitate to leap at. The fact that the house was being watched would only add to Callum’s temptation.

He frowned as he noticed one of the curtains unexpectedly shift, causing him to sit forward in his seat. “Katrine,” he murmured. “Something’s going on in there.”

Katrine had already pulled her gun, noticing the exact same thing that Alfred had noticed. “Callum is in there,” she stated as she reached for the door handle.

They both exited the car, racing across the empty street and up the sidewalk to the stately manor. Alfred didn’t hesitate to kick the front door in, knowing that time was of the essence…if they weren’t already too late. He immediately went to the left as Katrine took the right, both with guns aimed and ready to fire at a split second’s notice.

Alfred held his breath as he cleared one room after another, his heart hammering as he met Katrine in the kitchen. She indicated they needed to go upstairs, Alfred nodding in agreement as she led the way up the winding staircase.

If Callum was indeed in the house, he had to have heard the door being broken down. Still, they weren’t about to give away their position in the manor, hoping to get the jump on him. Alfred had a horrible feeling, though, that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

It rarely was when it came to the likes of Callum Fleming.

He silently crept up the stairs with Katrine watching his back as they reached the stair landing. He could feel his chest growing tighter with every step he took, his gut telling him that Callum was here. He cursed under his breath, furious with himself for missing the fact that the madman had gotten into the house right beneath their noses.

Everything that he wished he had done raced through his mind as he carefully made his way towards Judge Gallagher’s bedroom door. Turning the knob, he opened the door to find that they were too late.

**_Wayne Manor; August 9th, 08:40 EST_ **

With the sound of the doorbell, Tim leaped down the winding staircase, taking several steps at a time. “I’ll get it!” he hollered, finally jumping over the handrail and landing on the marble foyer floor with expert agility.

He quickly ran his fingers back through his hair and straightened his shirt before opening the door. “Hey—”

Cassie silenced him with a heated kiss that effectively stole his breath, suppressing any thoughts that he’d had just before he’d opened the door. She kissed him thoroughly, her arms wrapping around his neck to keep him right where she wanted him.

“Good morning,” she murmured against his lips, stealing another kiss.

“Morning,” he hoarsely managed to utter though he had no idea how.

“I’ve missed you,” she confessed with a grin.

“Yeah, I’ve been tied up with Gotham the last couple of days,” he replied, “but I’m glad you’re here. I’ve really missed you too.”

“I wish we didn’t have to work on this project,” she told him with a sigh. “I’d much rather spend my time doing other, more pleasurable things with you.”

Tim grinned at her, taking her by the hand. “I couldn’t agree more, but we have to finish this project before the due date,” he reminded her, pulling her inside and closing the door behind her.

“Yes, but all work and no play can make for a very boring time for your girlfriend,” she pointed out.

“We’ll work on our project for class this morning and then I’ll take you out for lunch…just the two of us.”

Cassie leaned in, kissing him on the cheek. “Now, that is a date I can accept.”

“Come on,” he told her. “There’s still some breakfast left if you want something before we get to work.”

Cassie pulled him to a stop, a look of worry appearing on her face. “Is it any good?”

Tim laughed as he tugged on her hand to follow him. “Dick made breakfast.”

“Okay, good,” she agreed, readily following him into the kitchen. “I just know what you had said about…oh, hey, Donna. How’s it going?”

“Come have breakfast with us, Cassie,” Donna offered. “Dick made blueberry pancakes.”

“I love blueberries,” Kaia piped up as she held up her fork, maple syrup all around her mouth.

“Everyone knows you love blueberries, Kai,” Nick reminded her. “Hurry up so we can go play. We need to build that Lego fort for Peanut.”

“Are you and Cassie going on a date?” Kaia excitedly asked, her blue eyes widening in excitement.

Tim suddenly grew quite nervous, remembering Kaia’s interest in babies since the twins had moved into the manor. He needed to keep his little sister away from the subject of babies especially with Cassie here. “No, we have a class project to work on,” he told her, grabbing a piece of toast off a plate.

“College stuff?” Nick asked him with great interest.

“Yes, it’s an advanced physics assignment,” Cassie revealed.

“That sounds like a good time,” Dick quipped, wiping baby food off Claire’s mouth.

“What’s sisics?” Kaia piped up; her nose scrunched up in confusion.

Tim laughed as he bent over, his hands coming to rest on his knees so he could explain it to her. “It’s physics,” he said. “It’s a lot of science with math equations. It’s really complicated.”

“Sounds boring,” Nicholas decided.

“It is,” Damian chimed in.

“Hey, if you want, I can make you two something special for lunch,” Donna offered as she fed Conner.

“Uh, no,” Tim readily replied, holding up his hands. “Thank you, but I think Cassie and I are going to go out for lunch today.”

“Can we come with you?” Damian asked before Tim barely had the words out.

“Are you saying you hate my cooking?” Donna demanded to know, a single eyebrow arching in question.

“No…no, not at all,” Tim insisted. “Cassie and I just haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time alone lately, so I promised to take her out for lunch to her favorite place.”

“Well, don’t eat too much,” Donna told them, excitement dancing in her blue eyes. “I found a new recipe I want to try out on everyone tonight.”

“Wait…what?” Damian warily asked, afraid of what she was making. “What are you going to make?”

“It’s a chicken and broccoli casserole,” she revealed.

Nicholas wrinkled up his nose in disgust as he looked at his sister, leaning over to her. “I hate broccoli,” he whispered to her.

“Eat the chicken and give the broccoli to Ace,” Kaia conspiratorially said to him.

“I think Raven wanted me to stop by before heading out on patrol,” Damian said. 

“That’s okay,” she replied. “I’m making a lot of it so I’m sure they’ll be leftovers. I’ll save you some.”

Damian shared a glance with Tim that caused Tim to bite at his bottom lip to keep from laughing. Both of them straightened up as Dick cleared his throat in warning, glaring darkly at both of them. “Well, Cassie and I have a lot of work to do,” Tim announced, grabbing his girlfriend’s hand and tugging hard. “We’ll be out on the back patio.”

“I’ll bring you some snacks,” Donna called as the couple hurried out of the kitchen.

“Let’s hope it’s not something she made,” Tim whispered to Cassie after shutting the door behind them.

“I heard that!” Donna yelled.

Tim and Cassie burst out laughing as they made their way to the patio table that Tim had already set up for them to work at. Cassie took a chair beside him, pulling her laptop out of her backpack. “Your family is so funny,” she told him. “I love coming over her. I always thought it would be fun to be a part of a huge family.”

“It is for the most part,” he replied as he started up his laptop. “Nicholas and Kaia keep things hopping around here because they’re always up to something. I was trying to teach Kaia how to tie her shoes the other day. She tried to use logic on me to get out of learning how to do it herself.”

Cassie giggled as she leaned over to bestow him with a kiss. “That’s so sweet,” she told him. “You’re the best big brother, Tim.”

Tim gave her a crooked smile. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them,” he admitted. “I’ve been kind of thinking about getting an apartment of my own in Gotham, but I don’t think I can leave Nick and Kaia. I love helping out with them especially since Kaia is starting preschool in a couple of weeks. I enjoy picking Nick up after school and taking him to lunch and helping to teach them things.”

“Don’t do anything you’re not ready for,” she encouraged him. “No one says just because you’re in college that you should be out on your own already. I know a lot of students that still live at home.”

“I know,” he agreed with a shake of his head. “It would be nice at times to have a place of my own. I would give us more privacy and time alone.”

“I’m happy with any time I get to spend with you,” she assured him.

“Thanks, Cassie,” he said, stealing a kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied with a grin, deciding that she never got tired of hearing that.

“Okay, let’s get to work on building a mock space weapon,” he told her.

“You never know,” she responded. “It might come in handy someday…save the whole world and all that.”

“That would be awesome to think we created something that could do that,” he agreed, his mind wandering to Legionnaire. He couldn’t help wondering if GL had found out anything yet.

**_Watchtower; August 9th, 08:59 EST_ **

“I still don’t like this,” Shayera stated, her agitation more than evident on her face.

“I know you don’t, but it’s something I have to do,” John reminded her again as they pushed the button to enter the conference room.

Flash zipped past them with a gigantic Slurpee in hand, entering just a step ahead of them. “Beat you!” he called over his shoulder.

“It’s not a race,” Shayera bit out with a scowl, taking her seat.

“Still not happy about us leaving, huh?” Flash asked John who took his seat next to the scarlet speedster.

“What do you think?”

“All right,” Superman said from the head of the table. “Were you able to find out anything about this Legionnaire?”

“Yes,” John replied, pausing to draw a deep breath. “But I’m afraid it’s not good. The team the Green Lantern Corps sent out never returned and no one has heard from them since. They’re more than likely dead, but they’re still holding out hope they can be rescued.”

“I’m sorry, John,” J’onn told him. “I’m sure this is a terrible blow to the Green Lanterns.”

“Thank you, J’onn,” he said with a nod. “I think I need to go out there to see what I can find out about this Legionnaire. I have a bad feeling that something horrifying is going on out there that we need to know about sooner rather than later.”

“But we don’t know anything for sure yet,” Shayera commented, clearly against the idea. “I think it’s a bad idea to go out there looking for trouble that might not even be coming our way.”

“Shay, if there’s any chance that Legionnaire is coming to Earth, I think we need to find out as much about it as possible before it gets here,” John stated. “I don’t want to be caught unprepared. If there’s something we can do to stop it, we need to know now, not when it arrives in our galaxy.”

“Hey, I’m going with him,” Flash reminded her. “I’ll make sure your man comes back safe and sound.”

“I think I had better go with Green Lantern,” J’onn suggested. “I may be able to communicate with it and gain information without us getting too close to it.”

“Yeah, man!” Flash exclaimed as he pumped his fist. “A men’s getaway! Is your wife going to be okay with it?”

“Suying understands that I need to attend to my duties as a member of the Justice League,” he told him.

“This isn’t going to be a bonding with the boys vacation,” John told him with a frown. “It’s a recon mission to see what we could be dealing with so we can be prepared.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to need you here, Flash,” Superman interjected. “With Bruce and Diana in England, we’re already down two Founders. If you, GL, and J’onn leave, that will leave Shayera and me to handle everything.”

“But Bruce and Diana said they were reachable if we needed them,” Flash pointed out. “They could be here at a moment’s notice if there’s an emergency.”

“He has a point,” J’onn told Superman.

“Besides, I can be a big help if we need to analyze something too…especially if we find the missing Green Lanterns,” Flash added. “I could figure out what exactly killed them.”

“He has a point,” John said.

Superman thought about it for a long moment, not liking this idea, but he knew that they had no choice. They needed more information if they were going to be prepared for an attack by an unknown alien. “Fine,” he relented. “I’ll let Bruce and Diana know so they can be on standby while you three are gone.”

“Yes!” Flash yelled. “I’ll make sure we have plenty of snakes and a case of Oreos for the big green guy.”

Shayera glared at him, wishing that he weren’t so excited about going on this suicide mission. There was a good chance that they might never return. It was something that she knew that they needed to do, but the thought of her husband never coming home almost made her physically ill.

“I think we should leave first thing tomorrow morning,” J’onn commented.

“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Superman asked.

“No idea,” John replied with a grim shake of his head. “Hopefully not more than a few days, but it depends how long it takes us to find Legionnaire.”

“Just find it and get home as quickly as possible,” Shayera heatedly stated.

John reached over to take her hand in his, clutching it in reassurance. “I promise that we’ll be careful,” he told her. “We won’t engage it or try to stop it. We’ll need to make a stop at Oa after we find it to let them know what we discovered, but after that, we’ll come straight home.”

“You better,” she huffed.

“Well, I guess that settles it,” Superman said as he stood to his feet. “Be safe and come home as soon as you can.”

“We will,” John assured him, hoping they made it back safe and sound.

If not, he was going to have one furious wife.

**_England; August 9th, 14:06 EST_ **

Callum Fleming smiled to himself as he drew a large black “X” through the picture of Judge Gallagher. The retired judge had repeatedly begged for his life when he had pulled him out of his bed. It had been pathetic really, but Gallagher had to have seen it coming.

Did he honestly think that he was safe from him with an unmarked car with two Bobbies watching his house?

His smile morphed into a smirk as he thought about Pennyworth and Atkinson. They had been watching the house from their car as well, expecting to catch him before he could get to the judge. Little did they know that he had been watching them from inside the house, arriving long before their shift had started.

The security system had only slowed him down momentarily, but he’d managed to get inside without tripping any alarms. It only added to the shock and dread on the judge’s face when he’d been woken out of a dead sleep by the feel of cold steel against his throat.

Two down…so many still to go.

He knew all the agents were in hiding together in their secret little bunker, plotting and scheming for ways to track him down. So far, they had been miserably ineffective in their attempts to stop him. This was turning out to be easier than he’d anticipated.

Then again, all of them were forty years older than they once were. Skills had no doubt diminished over the years, reaction times and investigative skills waning. Unfortunately, his thirst for blood had only grown stronger since being incarcerated.

Pennyworth hadn’t been in the British Secret Service in over forty years, choosing instead to live as a butler to the prestigious Wayne family in Gotham City. Did he honestly think that he wouldn’t know what he was up to just because he was hiding in the States?

He knew exactly what each of them had been doing during his time in confinement. The warden had tried his best to keep him from learning anything about what was happening in the outside world, but he’d had his ways of getting the information that he wanted.

He knew all about the Wayne family—the murder of the parents, Alfred raising the boy as his own, Bruce taking in wayward boys, the billionaire playboy marrying the famous Wonder Woman, the children that they’d had. He knew all of their names and he knew how much the family meant to Alfred.

He had the overwhelming desire to go to Gotham and eliminate each of them one by one, but he wanted to save that pleasure for last. Alfred Pennyworth was the sharpest thorn in his side. It had been because of him that he had been captured in the first place.

He knew exactly what direction that he was going to go in next. Since he couldn’t go to Gotham just yet, he decided to wound Pennyworth where he knew it would hurt him the most…almost as much as targeting his beloved family in the States. 

His next hit would be Katrine Atkinson. 

**_England; August 9th, 17:15 EST_ **

Bruce pushed the button that lowered the top on the convertible sports car that he’d had Nigel procure for him. It felt good to be out of the hotel for a little while. He was anxious to check out the cottage that Callum’s daughter had bought over a year ago. He was hopeful but cautious that they’d find anything there.

They’d been cooped up inside since arriving two days ago. Despite being alone with his wife, it was driving him crazy not being actively involved in helping with the investigation. He had been on the verge of going out to patrol London last night, but they needed to keep a low profile.

If Callum Fleming caught wind that Batman was in London, he might go further underground, making it even more difficult to find him. He couldn’t do that to Alfred or his team. Still, it was more than difficult not to go out on patrol. He was as much Bruce Wayne as he was Batman.

He glanced at his wife who was checking in with Donna, the smile on her face infectious. She practically glowed as she talked to Nicholas, her raven ponytail whipping in the wind. She was an amazing mother in every way imaginable, the love she held for their children evident in every facet of her being.

He’d always known that she would be an incredible mother someday. He was just fortunate that she never gave up on the notion of them. Because of her, he had the life that he’d always thought was meant for everyone, but not for him. Now, he had her…had it all and so much more.

“Kids are doing well,” she told him as she slipped her phone into her purse.

“But are they behaving?” Bruce pointedly questioned her. “That’s the real question.”

Diana laughed, knowing there was a fine line that could easily be crossed when it came to their precocious children. “Yes, Donna assured me they were behaving,” she assured him. “She said they’ve been very helpful with the twins.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Kaia sat with the twins while Donna made dinner,” she revealed. “She said Kai did a great job babysitting.”

It was Bruce’s turn to laugh. “How is Donna’s cooking going?”

“Well…let’s just say that Alfred may have to give her some cooking lessons when he returns,” she admitted. “Dick mentioned something about you needing to buy Alfred a new oven.”

Bruce groaned. “And here I thought you were a bad cook,” he replied. “I had no idea it ran in the family.”

Diana swatted his shoulder with the back of her hand. “Bruce Wayne!” she exclaimed. “How do you even know that Donna can’t cook?”

“The deluge of text messages I’ve received from Damian, Jason, and Tim begging me to bring Alfred home as soon as possible,” he divulged.

“Well, I’m not as bad at cooking as Donna.”

“Fine…I’ll grant you that,” he relented. “Alfred has taught you a few things since we’ve been married.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Now, how are we going to do this?”

“I don’t know,” he grumbled. “You won’t let me put my uniform on.”

“You know we can’t be Batman and Wonder Woman while we’re in London,” she reminded him. “We don’t want to jeopardize your identity or our families’. We also don’t want to jeopardize Alfred’s case. Our presence in London could drive Callum into doing something rash.”

“I know, but it would be easier as Batman.”

“We’ll be home soon enough, and you can go back to running in tights from one rooftop to another in Gotham.”

“Well, it might happen sooner than that,” he revealed.

“Why?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

“We need to be on standby with the League,” he replied. “Clark called to let us know that John, Wally, and J’onn are leaving in the morning to track down Legionnaire.”

“Is that necessary?”

“I’m afraid so,” he told her. “The team that the Green Lantern Corps sent out hasn’t been heard from or returned from their mission. They’re presumed dead.”

“Hera,” she softly gasped, sending up a silent prayer for the lives that had likely been lost as well as their friends who were heading into danger. “I hope they’ll be all right.”

“Me too,” he agreed. “Right now, Clark and Shayera are the only two Founders on duty.”

“If something happens, I can go so you can stay here and help Alfred if needed,” she readily decided. “I can always come back when I’m done.”

“We’ll see if anything comes up,” he replied.

Diana pulled out her phone, checking their route and final destination. “The cottage should be coming up here on the right.”

“I’ll find a place to park,” he said, glancing at her. “Are you going to tell me what’s been on your mind lately?”

She frowned as she looked at him, not wanting to talk about it here and now. “What are you talking about?”

“I can tell when something has been churning about in your mind, princess, and something has been on your mind for a few days now,” he pointed.

“Later,” she suggested. “Let’s just focus on finding Callum so we can return home.”

Bruce gave her a skeptical look as they neared their destination. “It’s not anything serious, is it?”

“No, I promise it isn’t anything bad and you’re not in trouble,” she reassured him.

Bruce turned the headlights off as he pulled the car off near a grove of trees, making sure they stayed out of sight. He didn’t want to tip off Callum Fleming if he truly was inside the cottage. They exited the car, silently closing the doors before beginning the trek to the small manor.

Diana suddenly paused, sweeping Bruce off his feet. “I am more than capable of walking,” he ground out in annoyance.

“This is faster,” she replied with a grin. “Besides, I relish every chance I get to hold you in my arms.”

“Flirting with me won’t make this any less awkward, princess,” he told her.

Diana rolled her eyes. “You’d think you’d be used to it after all these years.”

“You flirting with me all the time?” he teased.

“Oh, Hera,” she murmured. “I could drop you right here and let you walk the rest of the way by yourself while I search the house.”

“No, this is fine.”

“I thought you might see it my way.”

Arriving at the back of the cottage, Diana set Bruce down in the grass. The house was dark, leaving them to hope that Callum was asleep inside at this late hour. Of course, both knew that nothing was ever that easy for them when it came to solving a case. Fleming preferred to do his worst under the cover of darkness.

“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” she whispered in his ear.

He merely glared at her before stealing the rest of the way towards the mysterious cottage with Diana following close behind him. He wasn’t overly optimistic that they were going to find him here, but he knew they needed to check this place out. Hopefully, they would find some clues that would help them find him.

Callum had a genius-level intellect, one that rivaled his own. He did not doubt that Callum was going to lead them on a massive chase that was going to leave a bloody trail of bodies along the way. They were going to do their absolute best to keep that from happening.

Trying the back door, Bruce found it unlocked, allowing them easy entrance. They silently walked into the kitchen to find the only light coming from a nearby window. Diana placed her hand on his back, pointing towards the living room. He nodded in agreement as he headed towards a door that would lead to the cellar.

Diana carefully made her way around the cozy living room, taking note of a couple of magazines that were laying on the coffee table. Picking one up, she noted that they were only a couple of weeks old. Someone had clearly been here and not that long ago. Whether it was Verity or Callum, she had no idea, but she was determined to find out.

She lifted her head, looking around her as a sinking feeling began to take hold of her. Something was definitely wrong here. She just couldn’t put her finger on it, but the feeling was growing stronger. She set the magazine back on the coffee table, wishing Bruce would return from the basement.

Diana carefully moved to the other side of the room as Bruce entered. He could tell by the look on her face that she had the same bad feeling that he did. “Stay here,” she whispered to him before flying up the staircase.

“Diana,” he softly hissed her name, cursing under his breath.

Bruce made his way to the bottom of the stairway, ready to follow her upstairs when she came flying down the stairs toward him. She slammed directly into him, wrapping her arms around him before flying them out the front door just as the house blew up.

He landed in the grass with a grunt, Diana on top of him as the heat of the flames shooting into the sky forced him to move. “Diana,” he urgently said her name, hoping she was all right.

Diana lifted her head to gaze at him. “Are you all right?”

“Besides some bruised ribs, I’m fine,” he uttered with a groan.

“Sorry,” she murmured as she sat up on his lap, hissing with the movement.

“What is it?” he asked, sitting up and grabbing hold of her upper arms.

She gasped as she turned to reveal a jagged piece of wood embedded in her back near her shoulder blade. She yanked it out and tossed it aside before standing to her feet. “Stay here,” she told him before abruptly flying straight into the burning cottage.

“Diana!” he screamed her name, leaping to his feet. He held his arm up in front of his face in an effort to block the heat of the flames as he attempted to draw closer, but the fire was too hot.

Diana suddenly flew out of the fire, landing in the grass before him. “I got it!” she excitedly exclaimed, holding up the partially singed magazine.

“Are you okay?” he asked, gripping her arms. “What were you thinking going back inside there like that?”

“I needed to get this magazine so Alfred’s team can test it for prints,” she told him.

Bruce looked her over, panic still causing his heart to race. She was completely unharmed by the flames or the tremendous heat the fire generated. She wasn’t even singed, her hair intact. He slowly shook his head in amazement, silently thanking Hera for her new gift as he pulled her to him in a crushing embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Things are heating up!! :)
> 
> UP NEXT: Diana shares her heart with Bruce, the Batclan finally discovers the identity of their mystery girl, and Artemis reveals the reason she's not ready to get married to Jason.


End file.
